Thoughtless
by Kilimanjaren
Summary: Perry, or Rin Mori, is DigiDestined, hiding behind a wall she's built. A voice in her head drives her to the breaking point of what sanity she has left until she swears that she will eliminate it before it does the same to her.Before she is ripped apart.
1. Prologue

Okay, I've just started my Digimon Frontier book guided by Kimiko Heroux and Toshiku Yumari (my buddy and my sister) who also provided inspiration. This is also the first book I've posted up on Fanfiction. Feel free to critique, as I know Kimiko will pick it apart like she did the other day. Hope you like it!

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Prologue

I have never felt this way before. It's strange, as though something imbued with power decided to investigate my messed up head. However, I ignored the sensation and step back to see my masterpiece. I was bribed with twenty-two dollars to paint this old guy's garage. Not bad, I thought. Besides, I would have done the job without being paid.

_Impressive, would you do as well for me? _

…Absolute silence, other than a few house sparrows chirping. I glanced around me and ended up turning in a complete circle. Was this my imagination, or was I beginning to lose my mind?

_It's time you come, Perry. Ophanimon will be calling you soon, and we shall be together. _The voice is…not quite something I've heard before. Almost raspy, it had an air of monotony that made me want to listen very closely. Too closely.

_Who are you? _

He chuckled. _Soon, Perry, so soon._

I touched my temple gingerly. When the strange power left, pain arched as a headache, and it would spark and fade. This sort of pain I had felt before, resulting from me being injured in a car accident. Not from some voice getting into my head. And who exactly is this Ophanimon he was mentioning?

My cell phone buzzed in my pocket, sending an uncomfortable feeling down my left leg. I took it out of my pocket and stared at the screen. Did cell phones always do this?

Do you want to begin?

Yes No

I only considered the answer briefly; maybe this would get rid of the voice in my head. I clicked yes, and the screen lit up with a different message.

Your destiny is calling.

Take the 5:45 outbound train.

If you say so, I thought. As long as destiny doesn't mean having some psycho in my head for the rest of my life, I'm good as gone. Hopefully destiny doesn't beat the tar out of me, either.


	2. Chapter 1 Goggles or Bandanas

This is my chapter one (as you probably can read from the title). Kinda short, I was annoyed with myself when I couldn't think of anything to make it longer. But I was also impatient to post...so I had a bit of a dilema. Enjoy!

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Chapter 1. Goggles or Bandanas

I had plenty of time to walk the whole way to the train station, but something about the whole affair unnerved me. Running relaxed me most of the time; however, even now I could still feel the adrenaline from five minutes ago. Not that it really bothered me compared to the feeling of that strange voice in my head.

Who would want to get in _my _head, anyways? I wasn't exactly the brightest star in the sky, nor was I the darkest one either. It still didn't make logical sense. _Must you use logic for everything? Some things just don't use logic, especially at your age._ Yeah, my age…just peachy.

I bought my ticket and got on the train that my cell phone told me to. I glanced around the train and sat down on one of the benches that faced the aisle. There was a guy in a brown trench coat that made him look like a hobo, a girl with too much blue eye shadow listening to her iPod who looked suspiciously like Rachel Maddow, and another guy in a black tuxedo that looked like he was either really late for an important date or had siderodomophobia (the fear of trains).

_Do you always observe others in this manner?_

I winced at the voice that had returned without my notice, and pain burned through my head. _None of your business_.

He chuckled and left, but I didn't manage to escape the pain of that, either. I trembled for a moment before recovering. What was that about? Did he always appear and reappear just to irritate people? I wonder.

That was when a boy with black hair tucked into a ponytail got on the train. He was wearing a blue jacket unzipped to show his yellow shirt, grey pants that were too short to really cover the tips of his ankles, and white tennis shoes. The most noticeable thing other than the ponytail was his blue bandana. It was marked with grey horizontal marks, like zebra stripes. His face was unemotional, a solemnity that covered up whatever he was thinking or feeling.

I took my phone out of my pocket again, and the Ophanimon-person started talking again. "You will conquer and fall, rise and fade. But how it ends shall be your destiny. Through suffering you shall triumph."

"Boy, you like riddles, don't you?" I grumbled, putting my phone in my jacket pocket and watching as another boy zoomed into the train just as the doors were to close.

He had unruly brown hair with a hat and goggles securing it all in place. A familiar face I recognized, wearing a red, short sleeve jacket over a yellow shirt. He also wore military-style poplin pants, and an expression that was both exhausted and paranoid. Automatically I turned away from him in an attempt to not make any eye contact.

"Oh! Hiya Perry!" I swear I flinched so hard at that that my neck cracked. Least he didn't call me Rin, my actual first name; I made a good effort to keep people from calling me that.

"Takuya," I answered, not looking at him. I can picture him grinning ever so happily.

"Did you get those weird phone calls too?"

I don't get the chance to answer because Ophanimon begins to talk to him on his phone. I can barely hear the tone of her voice, but it's his reaction that startled me. His face constricted, and he hit the floor with his knees.

"Aw! Come on! Give me a break, I'm doing the best I can!" he howled.

"Dude, it's a phone. Not your life savings on fire," I began rubbing my temple as my headache starts up again.

"What if destiny will turn _into _my life savings?" he countered. "Then it won't matter if what I have now burns up."

Then destiny would have a ton of explaining to do…Did Takuya even know what life savings is? Eh, why should I bother clearing that up? He's not my responsibility. Takuya Kanbara had gone to the same school as I had for three years until I transferred. He is a year younger than me and still has the ability to annoy me half to death; that was his favorite game when he was in the fourth grade.

I yawned into my elbow and closed my eyes for all of a half a second when he spoke up again.

"So… did your parents split then?"

That's not what I expected to hear out of his mouth...although I had expected something that would tick me off. My eyes popped open to glare at him, looking all nonchalant on the floor. "None of your business."

"Oh, sorry." He stopped looking at me, instead focusing on his phone. He scowled at it and stood up.

Just as he got to his feet, the train made an abrupt stop, throwing him to the floor. He hopped to his feet, jumping up and down on the balls of his feet.

"Come on, come on, come on!" he whined.

The door opened, and I leapt to my feet, brushing past Takuya. Knowing him, he'll probably go for the elevator, lazy punk. I jogged for the stairs and took them two at a time; I lost track of the number after three hundred. _Wow, you really are out of shape, aren't you? Better to start now than never, I suppose. _

By the time I reached what I assumed was the bottom, I was drained. It hurt to stand but worse to move. Now, what next? I had reached the door that would show me the basement floor. Pushing it open, I saw several trains waiting.

"It is up to you now," Ophanimon says as I take my phone out of my pocket again. "Which one will you choose?"

"Good question," I remark to no one, and I examine my choices.

I guess it wouldn't make a difference _which _train I took; however, I certainly didn't want to choose the train that Takuya took. That would be an accident waiting to happen. So…which train would he choose? I glanced around me; there were ten of them. A one in ten chance that he would pick the train I chose…so I guess I would just have to get off the train if he showed up. My eyes moved towards the gigantic elevator shaft, made of black metal frames and glass. How much longer did I have?

Not much. I used the last of my energy sprinting for the blue train, the one that matched the color of bandana boy's jacket. I sprung in the back and slowed down, heading for the car in the way front. They were furnished with green benches, with a strange sense of comfort. Weird.

I reached the first train car and sat down on the bench closest to the back. I sat down and pushed my back against the backside of the bench, stretching my arms out in front of me. There hadn't been any sign of people on this train at least. A hiss of closing doors alerted me, but I relaxed right away. Wherever I was going, hopefully the only inhabitants were hermits who want to be left alone just as much as I do. Fine by me. Even if I were to be trapped in this train car, at least I wouldn't have to hear the people around me freaking out.

The train pulls away from the station and starts to pick up some speed. Good. I securely position myself with my feet firm, one arm on the armrest to prevent myself from flipping off the bench in an event of acceleration. My eyes closed while my wandered for a moment. What had led up to this? What had I done?

Three weeks ago my life had been bittersweet, filled with all the confusion and emotion that came with the last month of school. Eighth grade was like a fantasy; it didn't exist until it snuck up on you like some freaky stalker wearing a black stocking cap. And I was too preoccupied with family problems to notice until the date on my calendar, marked with a giant red circle, was discovered. At first I hadn't been sure what it meant…until I peered at the tiny black print on the bottom of the date box. Upon that, I had met a feeling I hadn't felt in ages: regret. What had I done with the first part of my life?

Actually, I couldn't remember. No matter what I thought about, it still made no difference. Why couldn't I remember? Something crashed out in the kitchen, and I winced. Thankfully, this time it was only the cat having pushed a vase off the counter. I had stroked its silky fur for a moment and frowned at the broken glass. Everything that cat touched shattered in a million pieces: vases, lamps, bowls, even my dad's goldfish bowl; is that why my parents fight so much? It made for a better explanation than listening to their arguments.

But really, when I thought about it, their arguments never once mentioned anything about fish or the cat. It had always been about one or the other not being responsible enough for me. But wasn't responsibility _not _arguing about me? For both of them to get along? What happened to the peace?

The door on the back of the train car slid open and closed; in response, my eyes opened.

I looked at the boy who had the ponytail and bandana, who presently found this a good time to scowl at me. "Great, let me guess: to avoid your boyfriend you hid on my train."

"Not my boyfriend," I snapped, rage boiling from my feet to my head in seconds. _Whoa, calm down, Perry. This isn't Takuya. _But he was still someone."You won't even know I'm here; I was just moving."

I was about to get up when pain screamed up my spine and settled in my neck. Jumping to my feet, I cupped the back of my neck with my hands and forced myself not to run to the front of the train. I sat down on the floor next to the end of the bench, hugging my legs to my chest and wondering what just happened. I didn't hear that voice at all or feel anything like his presence. Did I get electrocuted back there or something?

My back slowly straightens again and leans against the size of the train. _Okay, just take a second and breathe. Much better, no? _Not really. Why am I seizing up like an old person who throws out their back picking up the newspaper? I'm thirteen, not ninety.

I bang my head on the wall and close my eyes for a moment…until I hear a strange noise. The train car had gone dark: no light. The train accelerated faster, faster, and faster to the point where I'm getting crushed up against the bench.

I took my phone out of my pocket and stared at it as it explodes into light, deteriorating till a strange device is left in my hand. Strangely, it was white with a screen like my cell phone once had.

"Welcome to the Digital World, Perry. This is your D-Tector," Ophanimon explained. Didn't expect that to happen…a whole other world? If there was one world apart from the one I used to live in, how many more could there be?

The train abruptly straightened out, and the lights came back on again. I blinked stupidly at them for a moment before getting up to look out the window. Clouds are on both sides of the train, and in between the gaps in the clouds…clear blue sky. Now _that _freaked me out.

"Whoa," I backed from the window, adrenaline really making my sore head pound. And a seriously threatening amount of panic just got drizzled on top, just like ice cream with chocolate syrup.

I might as well admit this now: I'm terrified of heights. I've never actually been on an airplane, in fear that the plane will crash and envelop me in a cloud of aluminum, duct tape, and fire. And no matter how high the percentage of safety, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Sometimes I would wonder about my past, wonder if that had to do with my extremist view of heights. What had made me afraid?

"Are you going to pass out?" I turned towards the boy, who was had been looking out a window. He was standing in the middle of the car, probably had been looking out that window. He was grinning from ear to ear at my apparent flaw. "You're kidding me, right?"

"I guess not," I answered, breathless. I sat down on the bench opposite from the window and forced myself to calm down.

_Slow down, Perry. Drown it out. _I closed my eyes and brought up a familiar picture: warm sunlight touching my hungry skin and filling me with light. The dark parts that had been hidden revealed themselves and fled; no longer did they bother me. I could almost see myself now.

Blue jeans that were blacker than blue that were a half an inch from touching the tops of my running shoes. Off brand everything, probably paid five bucks for my black light jacket. Rummage sale? How about jackpot? The jacket's sleeves are pushed up to my elbows so my arms can feel the pleasant sunlight. My eyes are silver…

The power, that antagonizing voice, stirred right at that moment, and I was back on the train which sounded like it was shouting, "WOO! WOO!"

The boy was and still is disturbed my expression and was giving me something like a death stare. All the while I am pressing my temple with my thumb, wondering what the heck is wrong with me.

"You are strange," he said, not changing his expression.

"Actually, my name is Perry. But I think 'strange' is starting to become my middle name." He turned back to the window.

"Koji," he answered, as though I asked him for his name.

Recovering, I stood and took another look out the window on my left. A forest was exploding into place behind a series of kettle-shaped buildings with fire coming off the top of them…Wait, what? I blinked two or three times before shaking my head. This place was getting really odd. And I knew 'Odd' quite well.

"Strange," Koji said, noting the trees. Then he looked at me as though comparing me to the sprouting trees.

I sat back down and ignored him, staring at my D-Tector. His was dark blue and white…did the color mean anything? Why was mine only one color? Did something malfunction with it?

"You're not going to be following me when this train stops, right?" he asks, suddenly wary.

"No, I have more important things to do." _Like what? _I stared suspiciously at my D-Tector.

"Uh huh," I looked up at him, who can see my reflection on the window scowling at him.

"Why are you so concerned?"

"I will probably end up running into your boyfriend. With you around, I have a better chance of escaping unscathed," he finished, that solemn stare on his face now masking his smile.

I felt rage boil my blood, and this time I wasn't going to calm down so easily. He was purposely messing with me to tick me off; it was working real well.

"Kanbara is not nor will ever be anything more than an annoyance to me. Quite like what you're becoming."

"Uh huh," he answered again, putting his hands on the back of his neck. Does he ever say anything but 'uh huh'?

I glowered at him and stood up as the train heaves to a stop. Good riddance, I thought. The doors opened, and I stepped out…but the landscape changes the second my foot touches the concrete. At first it was a giant tunnel that showed the blue sky on the right, some kettle-shaped buildings on the right outside the terminal. Right now it's black, black, and guess what? More black. And I can feel a tingle of pain faintly moving through me.

I can't see my hand in front of my face, and there's a raspy voice talking to himself somewhere nearby. Echoing. What happened to me? Wait, what about my D-Tector? I took it from my pocket, and the screen exploded with light. Light revealed my surroundings to be clay stained rock, quick to suck in the light. Turning in a complete circle, I was surrounded by rock. Under me was rock too, not surprising. But above me? The light from my D-Tector didn't show me that far; it faded into the blackness.

A low, deep chuckling shuddered through the rocks. The creature spoke strangely, as though he had issues with his grammar.

"Me thinks that Mercurymon is bad joke. Me get Spirit before him! And Mercurymon? No more messing with him. Good riddance!" The rock around me shook violently, knocking me back against the wall.

Then the rock calmed down. But I still didn't know where I was or what I was doing here. Was I to be trapped down here? Just who was this 'Mercurymon'? Maybe that was the one who was in my head…

I stepped forward and found a small snag in the rock. Maybe I could climb up. Putting my D-Tector in my pocket with my hand still on the rock wall, and pulled myself up. Bang! A metal bar had materialized just above the handhold.

I fell back to the bottom, rubbing my head and groaning. Taking out my D-Tector, I glared at the bar. I climbed back up the wall, more careful than the first time, until the darkness started lifting; my D-Tector glowing inside my pocket. Then I paused, because I swore I heard something.

A scratching sound startled me, sounding from beneath me. Then everything went quiet; the bar under my feet sucked back into the rock, my feet gave, and I fell back down to the bottom of the pit…but I didn't land this time. I just kept falling; the dark sucking me deeper and deeper. And all I can think about is three weeks ago, when my life turned inside out. And only a dream of lies stood to protect me, when my fault was entirely to blame.

_No. _The voice in my head, louder than usual, snarled.

The light returned, much too bright, and my eyes opened. I was lying on my back, staring up at the concrete ceiling of the terminal. Pain still tingled through my body as I slowly sat up to observe my surroundings. The train was still behind me, but nothing else human was here. Slowly getting to my feet, I saw those kettle-shaped buildings outside the terminal; to my left the rails stretched over thin air.

But to my right was a small, white, podgy creature… watching my every move.


	3. Chapter 2 Robert & the Warrior of Light

Chapter 2. Poyomon and the Warrior of Light

I watched the strange white blob stare back at me with its black beady eyes. It was about a foot tall, pure white except for its eyes, and looked not quite unlike a marshmallow Peep. I could see the idiotic smile on its face from fifteen feet away…why was he so happy though? I took a step backwards and glanced at the nearby buildings. When I turned back towards the white thing, it was cruising at mach five, right for me.

It was a blur…until it bounced right off my left shoe and put the brakes on. Then it stared up at me, smiling dumbly. The eyes of it sparkled.

"Um…hi there. What is this place?" I asked, unsure of what it would answer. If it could talk.

"This is Flame Terminal," it spoke in a high voice, which I assumed was male, and seemed quite pleased with him. "Some other humans were here earlier, but they went away some place. Cerberumon came too; he left too."

I assumed Flame Terminal made sense what with the fire coming off the tops of every building and also agreed that there were other humans. Koji was here, and maybe some of the other trains were here earlier as well. But did Cerberumon have any importance? No, definitely not if he 'left'.

"What are you, exactly?" I questioned.

He giggled, another chime-like sound. "I'm Poyomon, a Digimon; there are tons of us around here." Then he paused with his smile fading. "But I don't know where they went right now."

He looked back up at me, the smile returning. So…was this little guy too ecstatic about seeing me to think about his suffering? Maybe I should take him back to his friends; maybe then I would figure out what I was supposed to be doing here.

"Well, let's get you back to your friends then," I yawned for the umpteenth time.

"I don't think they want me back," his face is still blank. These guys must not have a big emotional scale because I had only seen three different faces so far: overjoyed, killjoy, and so solemn that if a bomb went off outside, it wouldn't faze him a bit.

_This thing must have the intention span of a goldfish; I don't think I want him around me. _"Um, I'll just be on my way then." I back away slowly, and he starts to smile again.

"What's your name? Will you name me? I want a cool name, like yours. What's your name?" I blinked three times, too lost to figure out what he really wanted me to answer.

"I'm Perry if that answers your first question."

"And what about my name? What's my name?" he's bouncing up and down without leaving the ground. So the middle part of him is wiggling up and down.

…?

How can I answer this one? Does every Poyomon ask for a name, or is this one strange enough to ask for one? I guess naming him couldn't hurt. But what would I call him? Naturally I wasn't much for remembering names, the least of all naming things. Heck, when I was four, I named my pet goldfish Spot. But he didn't even have a _spot _on him. Then the idea hit me.

"Does Robert work for ya?" I asked, pleased with the idea from one of my favored book sagas.

"I _love it_!" he squeaked, continuing to bounce. "Thanks Perry!"

"No problem," I answered. "I'll see you later then."

"But…where are you going?" he whimpered, moving forward slightly.

"I can't stay and talk with you all day. There are things I need to learn about this world: why I'm here and how I can get back home when the time comes," I took two more steps back.

"But I can tell you tons of stuff," he started to frown, depressed. "Don't go…"

Was this Pacman- wannabe crazy or something? Did he want to follow me? That was one of the few things that I just couldn't stand; I wasn't some tour guide or babysitter.

"I have to go, Robert. See you later," I turned and walked briskly away.

I left the terminal and found myself in a jumble of alleys between the kettle-shaped buildings. Left or right? Time to choose again, I bet. I pulled out my D-Tector.

"Which way? Where am I headed next?" I questioned it.

"Find the Spirit, Perry. You will triumph only with courage and the Spirit," Ophanimon answered. Then the screen faded.

Perfect…except for the fact that I had absolutely no idea what a Spirit was or where to find it. I guess this world really liked playing games that included finding a needle in a haystack (or in my case, find the Spirit in the Digital World).

I took a step to the right as a muted thud reached my ear drums. Turning around, I found Robert the Poyomon, six feet away. He dove around the wall, landing on his face, but the damage had already been done. He had been spotted.

"I told you not to follow me," I growled. He whimpered in response.

"I won't be any trouble; please let me go with you."

Something snapped inside my head. Not the rage that had exploded inside me when Koji had antagonized me, nor the annoyance that Takuya brought upon me. It was...strange. Like I didn't want to keep denying this Digimon's request. But why was I being so bipolar all of a sudden? Did this world have a certain effect on everyone?

…

Or did I not have the assertiveness to send him away?

"Alright," I sighed. "Let's get moving."

"Oh thank you!" he zoomed right over to me, bumping off my shoe like earlier. "You won't regret it, never!"

"Will you be able to keep up?" I looked down at him, debating whether or not he would end up sitting on my shoulder. Probably.

"Of course I will!" he grinned. "I am the fittest Poyomon of them all, maybe even the fairest!"

"Okay Snow White, let's go." _What have I gotten myself into?_

_You are strange, to let one so insignificant burden you so. _Pain screamed from my neck all the way down to my feet, and I dropped down to my knees with a muffled groan escaping from my gritted teeth.

"Perry!" Robert cried, horrified. "What's going on?"

_Get out of my head! _I snarled inwardly and tried to keep the screams inside.

_Looking for your Spirit, are you? Strangely enough, I think I know someone who can help you find it._

_I don't need your help!_

_On the contrary, you do. You wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for my intervention. So you might as well play the game. _

_I won't be used for any purpose for you! You couldn't have possibly been the only one to bring me here; Ophanimon has spoken to me just like she has to…_ Oh crap.

_To who? _ He sounded deathly curious.

I should never have even though about Koji, no reason to drag him into my personal mess. I grimaced as he began to prod and pry away at my head like a tightly wrapped present. Robert was crying now, griping along the lines of me going to end up dying and leaving him all alone. Again. For some reason he didn't understand, the other Poyomon didn't like his interest in the world around him. The others would stay in Flame Terminal.

_But Robert will stay with me. _I felt the emotion's power sweep through my head, confusing my irritator.

_Fine. I shall know soon enough, Perry. _He left, and the muscles surrounding my spine tightened and contracted. A moan escaped as I grasped the sides of my head, trembling when the pain began to subside.

"Perry? Perry?" Robert zoomed right up into my face, his beady eyes inches from mine. "Are you gonna _die_?"

"Not today," I stood up slowly, taking slow, easy breaths. "We're finding my Spirit."

No answer from Robert as he assesses the situation; he puts on his thinking cap and gives me the bored Poyomon look. Then his eyes light up like it was Chinese New Year.

"Okay! I am good at finding things," he nodded twice and smiled up at me.

"Here," I pick him up and set him on my shoulder. "Now you'll have a better advantage point."

"I can see my house from here!" he exclaimed.

"Is it that one in front of us?"

"No, it's behind that one," he cackled. "Inside joke."

This was going to be a long day.

We had been walking for an hour before Robert quieted down. He had been blabbing about every topic under the sun, from his family, to food, to other Digimon (friendly and non-friendly), and about Cherubimon. According to Robert, Cherubimon was an evil Digimon that had his data corrupted so that he twisted the minds of other Digimon. The name made me nervous, like talking about it would bring back that psycho who kept coming into my mind.

The scenery had changed from several dozen buildings to forest. Following the general direction of the train tracks, Robert insisted upon going in one direction the entire time. I listened to keep him from complaining (which was his most adept skill).

"It's too quiet," he said, sounding bored. _Ugh, I thought he ran out of things to talk about by now. How long has it been since he started, a day? And he never stops!_

"I like the quiet; I can think when it's quiet," I argued.

He exhaled sharply, the sound of pure annoyance. "I don't like the quiet because I don't like thinking. Most thinking makes my head hurt. Don't you know any songs to sing? My daddy used to sing tons of songs."

"I don't sing," I lied. I'm point blank terrified that I'm going to turn out to be tone deaf, and someone will hear. Even if they don't know me. So I only sing when I'm in the car while my parents are in the grocery store.

"You don't?" he frowned. Then he smiled. "Well, I guess I'll just have to sing for us both then!"

"Okay," I answered, not sure of any other way to answer. I froze, hearing something loud on the right. It was an echo, just loud enough to alert me.

"What was that?" Robert flinched up into my hair.

"I don't know…let's investigate, shall we?" I turned to the right and saw a human-made temple created for some special, unknown purpose. How had Digimon managed to construct this?

"I'm scared," he whimpered.

"What do you mean you're scared? You accepted the risk when you stalked me back at Flame Terminal," I paused in the entryway of the cavern and peered into the darkness. It hadn't been abandoned, stone steps led down further.

"I didn't _stalk_ you; stalkers stalk people. I'm Robert, and I don't stalk people."

I laughed at that and jogged down the steps. Light bathed the cavernous space in an eerie glow with water heater-like objects on both sides. Perhaps they somehow fueled the Flame Terminal itself.

The screams were louder this time, and Robert whimpered. I tilted my head for a split second before bolting towards the sound. My feet pounded on the concrete as I passed hundreds of the giant water heaters. The Poyomon's body jiggled next to my ear making a strange sloshing sound once and a while. But soon it was the blood pounding in my ears that made more noise, the beating of my heart, and the oxygen getting sucked in and out of my lungs.

Running was something that came so second nature to me it was like breathing and sleeping at night. When I had to go, I _ran_. Anywhere I had to go, if it was enough of a challenge to run there, I ran. Besides, walking was for people who had time to waste. And I don't waste time.

I ran down what seemed like a hundred steps of stairs before the air started to kick out of my lungs. I slowed down to a jog, taking the last few steps at a brisk walk. The screams got loud, echoing up my tunnel to the left. I turned slightly and found a dead end, only an opening that dropped at least a hundred fifty yards to another concrete ground.

Several metal rails went all the way to the bottom of it with other entrances to the giant concrete hole across from me, with a dark hole in the middle of the ground. Robert shivered again.

"That's Raremon down there."

Sure enough, a gigantic grey Digimon with black surrounding its pale eyes. Its mouth was pink with jagged teeth disarrayed in its maw. A smell like rotten fish emanated from its skin. It was only a few feet from the hole, in front of…Koji? Koji had a grey metal pole in his hands, probably part of one of the bigger ones around here. A short distance from him were several other humans and white Digimon with big ears.

"What exactly is Raremon?" I asked to keep him talking so I wouldn't end up turning tail and running.

"He's a sewer Digimon, the Digivolution of Pagumon, those white things down there. Nasty brutes that look to have just gotten the beating of their life by that boy down there."

"Koji," I answered.

"Shouldn't we help him?" Robert insisted. I examined the situation for a split second before grimacing.

"He can handle it," I answered, confident.

That was when Raremon turned towards a boy about my age in a blue jumpsuit and a little boy in a giant brown hat. They stood by two others, screaming.

"I'll eat you up!" Raremon snarled, moving around towards them. "Acid Sludge!"

Its throat swelled up before it shot a slimy green acid straight at them. The bigger one managed to get out of the way, but Koji grabbed the littler one before the attack ate through the concrete. All the while I watched the shape of someone who looked like Takuya have a World War with his D-Tector. A yellow Digimon with red pants and a white one with a pink band around his belly stood next to him.

"Ew! It smells!" a blonde-headed girl whined. I couldn't quite see her from my position, but I could definitely see Takuya getting more and more frustrated by the minute.

"Come on! I'm not kidding here!" he shouted, pressing several different buttons.

"Um, Takuya," the white Digimon said, (he quite looked like a podgy, nose-less polar bear with five o'clock shadow). "Now would be a lovely time to Spirit Evolve before Stinky there turns your friends into goo." Actually, he didn't sound genuinely concerned. But what was Spirit Evolving?

"Going somewhere?" Raremon growled, backing Koji up against the hole in the middle of the floor. I felt my muscles getting tight. What if that tunnel dropped all the way through the rock? Flame Terminal _was_ built on a big cliff after all.

"Come on, come on!" Takuya snarled. That was when I heard a new sound; Takuya followed it with a despairing shout, "Spirit!"

Koji was inches from falling, Raremon ready to strike. But that's when Takuya was surrounded by a giant orb of blue, bits and pieces of it whirling around in an egg shape manner.

"A human using data?" Robert was mystified. "I thought humans couldn't become Digimon."

"A Spirit would turn me into a Digimon?" I spoke aloud, just as confused as the Poyomon. Part of me just hoped that I wouldn't end up looking _exactly _like Takuya.

He was seven foot tall with black armor under heavier duty red armor. Yellow bordered parts of it with Takuya's hair long and blonde as well. Three white horns were mounted on the red armor upon his head with sharp fang-like teeth jutting from his mouth. Ocean blue eyes radiated from his face His legs were cloaked in the black armor at the top with the heavy duty red at the bottom, leading to his feet with two sharp, bird-like white toes. Three holes were in both of his knees, with others position on the insides of his legs, his belt, and his fists. Two steel bands wrapped around his legs over black armor, with the white bands making his belt with the symbol for fire glowing red hot.

"Agunimon!" he howled. He charged forward, hardly touching the ground, and tackled Raremon. The Acid Sludge attack exploded from his mouth in dozens of pieces, melting concrete on the ceiling. Even when Agunimon jumped over by Koji, the attacks still bombarded straight up against the ceiling in every direction. Raremon was _ticked._

Agunimon knocked back one of the attacks with his fist before shouting, "Run!"

Light began to seep through the concrete just as data surrounded Takuya a second time…and turned him human again. He couldn't control his Spirit?

"What's going on? I turned back into me?" he looked down, devastated.

Light descended from the concrete in beams from both the ceiling and the floor, illuminating the bowl more and more. How long would the concrete hold?

"Still here!" Raremon threw back his head and shot another Acid Sludge attack straight for them.

"Watch out!" Takuya tackled the smaller boy to the ground to make him duck, knocking Koji down into the hole.

Koji cried out once as he fell faster and faster. _Should've known Takuya would do him in. _I hung my head for a moment in silent respect, hoping there would be a ledge for him to land on. All the beams of light moved in unison towards the giant hole, illuminating it with a nearly blue light. Raremon threw another Acid Sludge attack, and one of the holes that appeared sent a single beam of light down the tunnel.

I could hear a faint shouting sound as all the beams of light pointed directly down the tunnel. _What could be powerful enough to draw all the light down there?_ I could hear talking now, like Koji was asking himself a question as he fell. Raremon snarled suddenly, backing from the hole. Suddenly there was a shout, clear as day.

"Spirit!"

Then I chuckled to myself. Of course.

"Ahh! Lobomon!" he shouted.

That was when he seemed to float right up out of the hole, landing on the concrete floor. Red eyes glowed from his pale white face built into his silver armor. Blonde hair just like Agunimon's flowed from the back of his head with a silver and blue scarf's end floating in the air. It stretched six feet from his neck and seemed like it was possessed. Large, rounded armor-plated shoulders, the same type of armor protecting his legs, arms, and torso. Less armor was between his shoulders and wrists, as though he could store things in his armor. A black belt was tied around his waist, and his feet were large with three black toes.

Then the lighting returned to normal, and I could hear the praise fluttering from the small crowd on the ground floor simultaneously.

"Wow! Did I look that cool?" Takuya demanded of the little boy.

"Yeah, uh huh, different," he answered, like he had totally forgotten that Takuya could Spirit Evolve.

He landed on the ground, and Raremon made an irritable sound.

Then the podgy Digimon with five o'clock shadow pulled a green covered book out of his pink pouch. He flipped open to a page and stated, "That is the Legendary Warrior of Light, _Lobomon_."

"I've never seen anything more beautiful…in my whole life!" the purple girl stuttered.

"Me neither," the blue jumpsuit guy said, breathless.

"You can say that again," Takuya agreed.

"Still here!" Raremon shot an Acid Sludge attack, the green blobs shooting in all directions.

Robert squeaked, and I ducked as a huge ball of sludge slammed into the concrete behind me. I looked up as Lobomon used Lobo Kendo, slicing away the sludge that was directed in his path. He leapt, slamming the Kendo through Raremon's head.

He roared in pain, sludge leaking from his back and squirting in the air. Lobomon leapt off again and turned. "Now you talking trash heap, it's time to be recycled."

Data was now whirling around Raremon, surrounded in it, just like when Koji had turned into Lobomon. Lobomon/Koji whipped out his D-Tector, pressing on a button on the side.

"Fractal code, Digitize!" Data sucked in from Raremon till none was left, and Raremon disappeared. Then a strange round object was left and zoomed away into the distance.

Koji de-Spirit Evolved and ended up on his hands and knees, shaken. Takuya, with the little boy following close behind, went up to him.

"Hey, you okay? Let me help you up," Takuya offered.

"Don't touch me," he hissed. Takuya backed off, startled. "I don't need your help, nor anyone else's…" He slowly rose to his feet, shaking off the pain. "But I guess I should thank you for saving me; I always repay my debts."

"I didn't do it so you'd owe me, you know," Takuya answered, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

Koji turned slightly, ninety degrees. "My name is Koji Minamoto, and you are?" He waited for a moment, expectant. "So are you going to answer me? I can't repay you if I don't know your name," now he's annoyed as well.

"I'm Takuya Kanbara," he answered, sounding a little bit more at ease.

"Takuya, huh?" he brought his fist up to his face for a moment before turning, putting it behind his back to wash his hands of the ordeal. "See ya."

"What's his deal?" the boy in the jumpsuit came over, putting his hands behind his head.

"Come on guys, let's get out of here. This place smells like dead fish," the girl said, walking behind them towards the exit.

"Should we tail 'em?" Robert whispered.

"I'd really rather not at this point," I murmured. "There are four of them, and we don't know how many of them have Spirits or whether or not they just chose not to use them. We have to have a way to protect ourselves. You see those Pagumon down? Those little things gave those guys all the trouble; we need that Spirit."

Robert sighed loudly. "I suppose we should get going then…before they find us."

"Yeah," I answered, astonished at how well I agreed with him.

We got back out of the expanse of cavern without a scratch and immediately made for the train tracks. Robert figured that since other Digimon villages were connected by the rails the Trailmon used, we could use them just the same. I had been jogging at a slower pace for at least an hour before Robert suddenly went quiet.

He had been talking non-stop about what types of Spirits there could be until now. So I slowed down now so I could take a few breaths and ask what his problem was. This little guy had a way of keeping me from feeling totally alone…even if he never shut up.

"What's wrong?" I asked. His answer was automatic but masked his feeling on the topic completely.

"Why were you sleeping when I found you at Flame Terminal?"

I hesitated, unsure if it would bother me later if he would suddenly burst out and tell the wrong person…or Digimon.

"I won't tell anyone if it really bothers you," he assured. "I just figure if that happens again I might want a warning."

"We have to keep this to ourselves," I answered. So I told him what I'd seen and about the voice that I had continually been hearing.

"Is he listening now?" he demanded suddenly, almost excited.

"Uh, no," I raised one eyebrow. "Doesn't that bother you?"

"Of course it does," he answered, agreeing. "However, he must have some way to know what you're thinking to manage to get in your head. Maybe if you always are thinking about something, he won't get in there. Also, I was wondering. Towards the end of your vision," he paused to yawn, and I wondered if he literally meant vision. "You heard the voice say, 'No.' Describe the way he said it."

I mulled it over for a moment, trying to think of an adjective. Defensive, aggressive, aggravated…

"Protective," I decided. "Loud and protective."

"As though he doesn't know he causes you pain," Robert summarized, and we fell silent for a minute or two.

"Perry," the feminine voice cut through the air.

"Ophanimon?" I took out my D-Tector.

"Go to the Forest Terminal immediately," then the screen went blank again. She sure has a lot to say, doesn't she?

"I guess we have to really multi-task now, huh?" Robert yawned loudly in my ear.

The sun was still quite high in the sky, one of the Digital World's moons halfway up in the sky. Three moons in total, I counted.

"We can follow the tracks in the direction of the Forest Terminal and look for my Spirit on the way. After the Forest Terminal…" I tightened my right fist convulsively. I wasn't going to let someone hurt me, even if they didn't know what they were doing. Maybe it was and maybe it wasn't Mercurymon, but whoever it was…

"We find out what's messing with your head," he finished.

"Yeah," I whispered.


	4. Chapter 3 Wake Up Call

Chapter 3.

My eyes were starting to burn from the heat as I walked slower and slower. The landscape hadn't changed in the four hours that I had been walking: desert wasteland with the cool wind keeping me from becoming a lobster. The sun was beginning to sink lower in the sky, but Robert didn't seem all that fazed about it or even slightly tired. His mouth hardly closed for oxygen. I yawned for the thousandth time and stopped, swaying from side to side.

"I'm…taking a break. Right here," I took one step away from the tracks before hitting my knees. The Poyomon jumped from my shoulder.

"Out here? In the open?" he sounded worried.

"Don't' worry about it; wake me up…in an hour." I rolled over on my side and closed my eyes.

I found myself in a much stranger dream/vision than earlier this morning…or whatever time of day it had been earlier. Takuya was dressed like Superman, and I was in a crowd of faceless people. He swooped in on me like a hawk on a mouse, crushing me too dearly to his chest. The people became fog as I realized in horror that I was about to be _kissed _by Takuya Kanbara.

"I'll save her!" I heard in my ear, him tilting my head back and checking to see if I was breathing.

Wait, what? The tightness, or my earlier panic/horror attack, made sense to me now. My eyes snapped open as the air flooded into my lungs…holy…!

I was lying on my back in the desert wasteland, the sun lazily rising in the sky behind Takuya's enormous head. He had his fingers by my ears, palms on my cheeks. His eyes had this determined, half-terrified look while he attempted to push another breath of his down my throat. Absorbing all of this in a second, I slammed Takuya's chest with my hands.

He fell on his back a few feet away, feet up in the air like a turtle. He made gasping sounds from me kicking all the air out of his lungs, and croaked, "You're welcome."

"I told you she was fine," Robert argued.

"She stopped breathing: I saved her life!" he sat up, scowling at him.

"I think I'm gonna die!" I moaned, gagging on the taste of Takuya's mouth. I squeezed my eyes shut. _Please be a dream, please be a dream! _But when I opened my eyes, nothing had changed.

"Robert?" I tried to not show him too much rage, just in case I did end up regretting my reaction.

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "I tried waking you up, even jumping on you didn't help. Then…I fell asleep. Then they ran into us."

I stood slowly and observed the four humans and two Digimon that were before me. Obviously I recognized Takuya, but the others not so much.

The yellow Digimon looked like a rabbit, wearing red pants that were much too big for him. He had a blank, unimpressed look on his face when silent. The other Digimon, the white one with the five o'clock shadow, had a professor-like aura emanating from him. Black Poyomon eyes drilled into me despite him being the height of a small first grader. Grey circled his mouth with three black claws on his diminutive paws/hands. That strange pink band was still around his waist.

The tallest of the humans, a boy with caramel brown, slightly spiked hair, gave me the impression of Augustus Gloop from the new version of Willy Wonka. He wore a blue jumpsuit with yellow patches on the front . He had this nonchalant friendliness emanating from him with big ears and bloodhound eyes

Now the smallest boy had an entirely different look: a gigantic tan hat was mounted like a mushroom top on his small head. His eyes were a tint of teal with his hair faded, nearly an off-white brown. He was dressed in a V-neck T-shirt colored white with a green border around the neck, arms, and bottom of the shirt. His pants were yellow: not as bright as a banana or lemon, but more easy on your eyes. An autumn leaf yellow, I thought.

And finally, the blonde girl decked out in purple. She had high arched eyebrows with a quizzical look glued to her face. She wore a purple hat, skirt, and vest. The vest covered a blue and white horizontal striped shirt. She wore indigo socks and giant shoes with (I'll bet you can't guess this color!) more purple.

"Hm…let's go, Robert. If it is inevitable I'm to stick with these four, then I don't want them to slow us down."

"Uh, what?" the boy in the jumpsuit looked as though I had just used Spanish.

I pretended like I hadn't heard him and gritted my teeth. _Please let me get struck by lightning, please let me get struck by lightning…_

"What's your name?" the smallest boy asked, his voice almost squeaking.

I relaxed, not quite sure why. "Perry, and you?"

"Tommy," he smiled. "This is Takuya, Zoe, JP, Bokomon, and Neemon."

Cute kid, I thought. Just like…Ryan. An involuntary shudder rippled through me. Who was Ryan? I knew, but somehow I didn't know.

"We've met before," Takuya grimaced.

I turned around, ignoring him and starting to walk on the tracks again. A strange feeling washed over me…the voice? Now? "Let's keep moving, we've got a long way to go."

_What's wrong, Rin? _This was the first time he actually used my real name, and it sounded weird when he said it. Like he was sincerely listening, as though he really cared.

Robert floated next to me before revolving, his beady eyes boring into mine. "Can I sit on JP's shoulder? He smells nice."

"Excuse me?" I blinked, still lost in my thoughts. "Never mind, do what you want."

"Yay!" he sprung for Augustus Gloop, startling him.

_Who is Ryan? _The voice sounded less stressed as the previous day, more focused. Surprisingly, he hadn't inflicted any pain yet.

_Why should I answer you? When you come and go, you inflict pain through me. It hurts; it's the most pain I've felt since…_

_Since Ryan died? _He guessed.

I shuddered again. How could he know anything, and in the least, understand? No one could understand this part of me, not now, not ever. _I _couldn't even understand me.

_I don't know why you are asking me about someone I don't know. _Feeling irrational, I focused on one of the other conversations going on behind me. I didn't focus on JP/Augustus, Takuya/Superman, or Robert, but instead on Zoe and Tommy.

"Tommy, why didn't you go home?" she asked, sounding exactly how her face made her sound.

"I decided I wanted to be like Takuya: to become a Digimon so I won't be scared all the time." Okay, so I did correctly pick up on the fearful-ness in his eyes.

She made a sound of understanding, but did she really know? "What about your mom and dad back home? I bet they're really worried."

He made a gasping sound, and then quieted. "I miss my parents, but if I'm not afraid anymore, they will forgive me." Then I heard footsteps as he ran past me ahead of the group.

_You feel for young humans? _He was mystified. _Are all humans like this, or just you? I didn't detect the same in…Koji, was it?_

_Should it _matter_? _I growled, getting more and more irritated. _He misses his parents; I would too if I were his age._

_If, _he remarked, amused. _'If' changes the entire circumstance. 'I can swim' is much different than 'If I could swim, I would go to the lake.'. 'If' can cause a lot of trouble._

_You were speaking hypothetically, _I pointed out. _So it really makes no difference whatsoever._

_Hypothetically, _he repeated, boiling my blood. _And in theory most people don't pretend someone doesn't exist because they're dead._

I stopped walking, too angry to move anymore. _Why are you bringing this up? No one is alive if they don't exist._

_But they still existed once, _he insisted. _He existed…once._

A single tear rolled down my cheek at that memory, at the pain that I'd hid myself from for months. The reason the voice was in my head, I guessed, attracted to my pain.

"Perry? Are you alright?" Robert's voice brought me back to the present.

_No, _I thought miserably. I started walking again, grinding my teeth. _No! _I snarled inwardly. I would _not _be a crutch to myself.

_No, _the voice chuckled. _You won't. _Pain grabbed at my ankles and knees, sending my heart against my ribs.

"Whoa!" I jumped, but I didn't touch the ground.

Something swooped out of the sky and snatched at my arms, shrieking its lungs out in my ear. I struggled in its scaly claws, stabbing my shoulder with its black claws. And whatever this thing was…it was starting to make me sweat. Like I walked into a furnace.

"Perry!" Robert shouted, but he was already starting to get smaller and smaller: ant-sized.

I forced myself to stop moving long enough to figure out what was holding me. I leaned back and felt the uncomfortable heat get closer. It had a mouth similar to a crocodile, a triangular shape that held several jagged teeth. Sharp blue eyes swept from side to side as they observed the desert…with fire covering the rest of the Digimon like feathers, flickering and hissing in the air. I was uncomfortable…but why wasn't I burning up?

"Uh…" I tried to think of something intelligent to say to this thing. "What are you doing?"

"I know who you are," her voice came out through its mostly closed mouth, bubbling with anger. "_Legendary Warrior_."

I examined our surrounding a bit more closely. Was she slowing down…over that big crevasse/ really big hole in the ground?

"I believe I misunderstood you; I think the Legendary Warrior you're talking about is actually back there, wearing the hat and the goggles."

She glanced at me again, looking skeptical for a moment. Then she became confident again. "No matter; I am Birdramon, and I shall defeat the Legendary Warriors!"

"Uh, Bird-dude…Birdramon? Firstly, how can I be a Legendary Warrior if I have no idea what they are? Secondly, Takuya was definitely a Legendary Warrior; why didn't you grab him? You have two feet."

"Silence!" she hissed. "You are distracting me."

"Uh huh," I turned my head and examined the bird's feet. No scales, no weak spots…no nothing. Now what? "So Birdramon, was it? Who do you work for?"

"Would you like me to drop you?" she snarled, threatening.

"Sure, why not?" I offered, but she ignored me. This could be quite fun, if I survived this encounter. She wasn't going to be able to handle too much more of this, I hoped. "Ooh, I see. You're delivering me like a package, and if you drop me, you're dead bird data."

"Shut up!"

"Make me, then!" I challenged, and she snapped, dropping me. But that wasn't what really surprised me.

"Firestorm!" she howled, launching a cloud of fire straight for me.

Wind whipping my face, I unzipped my jacket to create some drag, holding onto the sleeves. That would a) veer me in another direction thus dodging Birdramon or b) throw her aim off by two or three feet by slowing down. Unless I hit a dead air pocket.

I closed my eyes as tightly as possible with the wind burning them, burning my face with the desert air. A heat wave rushed by my face, making me cringe…but then it was gone. Birdramon was shrieking overhead, swerving away from me. Why? I turned in the sky, towards the ground, wondering if I would die upon slamming into the desert.

_Hey…Takuya? Now's the time I'm gonna apologize for hurting you before. Uh, help? _

I did an equation in my head, blinking some sand out of my eyes. I had twelve seconds, give or take a second or two. That also depended on if I _did _actually fall down that hole in the ground. _Tick tock, _I thought. And then it got black. Too black.

One time when I had the flu, I remembered being half asleep and getting this weird floating feeling. It made me feel more connected to my psyche. My physical and spiritual/emotional being, melted together. That's kind of how I feel right now, actually.

"Perry?" there's the voice, saying my name again. He sounded deathly familiar. "Perry, open your eyes. Come on," he insisted. Um, ow? Why was it so bright? "Can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear," I shivered at the pain in my left arm. "Who the heck are you, exactly?"

"Koji Minamoto," he said, and I pried my eyes open. "Remember?"

As my eyes adjusted, I realized I was on one of the train cars again. Outside it was dark, the three moons high in the sky. I was lying on a green bench, Koji kneeling on the floor and beginning to recover his death stare.

"What happened? Where's Birdramon?" I demanded.

His voice was cool and collected. "You were lying in a heap by the tracks; Franklin almost ran you over. And that Birdramon? Never saw anything, you were completely alone."

I sat up slowly, wincing. "Thank you for helping me, but I should go find Robert."

He raised an eyebrow.

"He's a Poyomon; he's back with Takuya and Chocolate Boy."

He stood up and sat on the other side of the train, yawning. "Whatever."

I smiled. If he didn't diss me via Takuya-is-your-boyfriend-ha statements, I wouldn't mind him so much. Still…was Robert okay with JP and Takuya? I bit my lip. I sure hope so; he was only a little guy after all. Why had I let him anywhere near Takuya in the first place? Nothing good ever seemed to result from such an action. Ever. But it's not like I could have been a dictator over Robert either, keeping him from going by JP. That would be wrong. But if I took Takuya out of the equation…

"Do you always make faces when you think?" Koji asked, snickering.

Not answering him, I limped to the front of the train car and sat down up there. I didn't need him ticking me off, hurting me more than I already was. He was almost as bad…no, not even close to the trauma Takuya inflicted on me. I will never look at soy the same way _ever _again. Or rugby. Or the Internet (the root of all Takuya's evil).

I took a deep breath and exhaled. Now onto a topic that would actually make a little bit more prolific sense: why had Birdramon swooped in on me? She didn't seem like she even knew what she was doing in the least…had she even planned on delivering me to someone?

_Birdramon?_ I jumped at the appearance of the voice, getting to my feet and pacing as pain throbbed in my head. Not so intense as last time…just there. _Now there is a fruitcake of a Digimon._

_Leave me alone…_

_Why? _He asked, sounding genuinely amused. _I'm just here to set a few records straight is all. Birdramon is a Champion level Digimon, Biyomon's Champion form, that is. Only people with good hearts are able to touch her without being burned. Perhaps you were one of them?_

I fell silent, brooding on a way to evict this fruitcake. Maybe Birdramon could be useful after all…

_I think that would damage you more than me. _He made a sniffing sound, unimpressed.

_Then at least you wouldn't be able to get in my head, now would you?_ I challenged.

No answer. Ha! Least that would buy me a few more seconds of…

_You wouldn't really do that, would you? _He sounded wary; like he thought I was bluffing but wasn't taking any chances.

_We could do an experiment. However, that would require Birdramon, who isn't present in the jury. So I'll fine him when he gets here._

Fine _him? _He was mystified again. _Are you sure Birdramon hasn't opened your head up already? Or are you just a little high on your pain right now?_

"Hey, stop moving up there. You're distracting," Koji complained, yawning and stretching his arms.

"Then don't watch me," I countered, not looking in his direction.

"I'm not; but I can see the movement in the corner of my eye. It's irritating."

I stopped moving, turning towards him. This time part of me snapped, but I wasn't willing to get worked up over nothing. It would be stupid to waste energy getting upset with him. I considered jumping off the train, but I really didn't want to catch up to Takuya. _But what about Robert?_

_My bet is this 'Chocolate Boy' ate him. _The voice offered. Now I really snapped.

"Koji, do me a really big favor," I spoke through gritted teeth, not wanting to think about my idea before the voice got away.

"Uh huh?" he opened his eyes, still giving me his blank face.

"Open that train car door for me, would ya?"

"Do it yourself," he closed his eyes again. Then he sighed. "Why are you asking, anyway?"

I simply leaned my back against the car wall, slid down to the floor, and banged my head against the wall. A groan of recognition inside my head made me wince. _So I _am _annoying you? But isn't this an ironic case? If I leave, I inflict pain. When I stay, you seem to lose your rationality…I think you need to visit a Shamanmon._

I winced. _If you wouldn't talk so much, maybe I wouldn't mind you in my head. As it is, get out of my head!_

_Maybe I'll stay here…you have a bright mind. I like it. _He sounded cool, collected, and too similar to Koji's attitude.

I shivered, and an impending sense of doom weighed down on my shoulders. What if I always had this, this thing, in my head? I wanted to scream in frustration, and that was a rare occurrence. It had only occurred in two events of my life (other than when I was a baby). The first…had dealt with Ryan. It had always been him. Hadn't it?

"_I'll watch him, I promise," I assured Mom and Dad four or five times._

_Ryan was eleven, going to be twelve in a week. He wasn't going to drown; he could out-swim me. We escaped their worried eyes, towels wrapped around our waists. He grinned at me and put his left arm around me. _

"_You're the best, Perry." _

"_Nah, your puppy eyes did them in," I teased, pleased with him…_

I blinked, and I could feel the tears bubbling over in the back of my eyes. _Not here, not now. _The voice was quiet, resigned. He left, and my temple started to throb. This would never end, would it? The walls, the barriers, now they had cracked. Crumbling, they showed bits and pieces. And no matter how much concrete I tried to seal them up with, they still showed through.

No. I couldn't take this anymore. I sprung to my feet and nearly slammed into Koji.

"Watch where you're…" he stopped in mid-sentence, his expression changing from rage to concern. "Hey, what's…?"

"I'm running now, anything to be alone. Away from him. And when I've jumped off the back of the train at the base of a hill, the only thing I can think is _why. _And then I let myself fall to the ground, crash into a deep sleep in the shadow of the trees. Under the light of the three moons.


	5. Chapter 4 Flashback

Chapter 4. Flashpoint

When I woke up, the sun was peeking from beneath the horizon. The trees around me were just starting to shake away the dew from their branches. And my first thought was: why do I always wake up on the ground? Not surprising, but even so. I've been on the ground more in the past three days than I had in the last two years.

I got to my feet, sore and miserable. Robert was gone, there was some Digimon antagonizing my head, and Ryan…was gone. My baby brother, lost forever. The whole event had replayed in my mind last night, and it was the reason I woke up. Ryan was every reason.

_The lake sparkled like a million diamonds, all shimmering and moving under the sunlight. Gulls, white birds with loud, authoritative voices, patrolled the thermals. And hardly a car or person in sight. The houses were tucked into the trees, silent while the people slept on. It was only six forty-five in the morning, and most would wait for the afternoon heat wave to go swimming._

_Tomorrow morning we would take a flight back to Japan, but for now, it was just the Canadian landscape filling us in. We had owned a cottage since I was real little, as Mom grew up in Canada. But since we were across the ocean, we rarely got to visit the cottage. It was a nice change of pace._

"_So, what about that neighbor kid…was it Rich?" Ryan broke the silence, and the topic he chose made me cringe._

"_What about him?" I asked warily. He had an uncanny ability to detect my feelings, my emotions. Sometimes with ease._

_He had the same tone red hair that I had and an angelic face that stunned most girls. He was _

"_I dunno," he shrugged. "He seemed to like you. We were talking a bit about you, last night."_

"_You're not supposed to talk about people behind their back," I accused with fake annoyance, but part of me really wanted to know what they had talked about._

_Rich's family lived in the house next to our cottage, and his parents got along real well with mine. Mom grew up with his mom, I figured. _

"_Yeah, I know," he blushed. "He was just curious is all; he's not used to seeing Japanese folk, you know? He asked tons about you."_

"_Example?" I pressed eagerly,, and he laughed at my tone. _

"_You should talk to him yourself," he shook his head in disbelief. "So you _have _seen him then?"_

"_Once or twice…he doesn't have any brothers, does he?" I questioned, had to make sure we were talking the same boy._

"_His older brother's off to college down in the States," he answered. "He misses him sometimes, he said. But he has quite a few friends in the Alberta province too, and they visit quite a bit. Maybe you should talk to him tonight before we leave in the morning."_

"_Maybe," I echoed, brooding on what I would say. _

_We walked in silence the rest of the way, listening to the gravel on the side of the road crunch under our tennis shoes and the birds sing their morning songs. We made it to the lake, and I glanced around. A full circle showed no other person. The houses nearby were quiet and empty. _

"_Come on, Perry!" Ryan was already in the water, shivering with the chill of the water._

_I was quick to join him, and we were quick to get moving. He was an amazing swimmer, just like a seal. Where had he gotten the skill in the family? Dad wasn't much for swimming…maybe someone on Mom's side. We spent twenty minutes warming up before practicing our dives, checking out the deeper water. _

_I dove underwater and closed my eyes for a brief moment. Then I surfaced and re-opened them. Ryan was underwater, probably going to surface pretty quick. I put my feet down in the sand and waited. I counted to ten and ten again. _

"_Ryan?" I called his name, turning in a complete three sixty. Water, concrete, sand, and trees…no Ryan. Was this some sort of trick?_

"_Ryan, it's not funny. Where are you?" I barked, scanning the waves further out. He never did this before; he never played tricks like this. Sure, he would ambush me when I got up from a dive, but he didn't disappear. He told me when he wanted to leave. _

_I went out as far as I could manage while still treading water and dove several times. Searching and searching till my eyes were burning. Absolutely nothing. _

I tightened and relaxed my muscles for a moment, exhaling short breaths as quietly as I could manage. It had been weeks since this event had played so extensively in my mind: every thought, every fear, and every second of the past playing in my head. Was this why I hadn't recalled so much of the past year?

I shuddered once; for what little sense it made, it seemed to be the only thing I could come up with. I moved each numb foot in front of the other, staggering up the hill. The dirt slid beneath my tennis shoes without a sound. Almost a complete silence, if my heart wasn't so loud. Might as well get some miles in today...or one or two.

_Ryan, _I thought, not able to push him out of my thoughts. _It's all my fault._

"Perry!" I jumped two feet up in the air, half turning as Robert zoomed up the hill. He bounced off my shoe, vaulted into the air, and plastered himself to my shoulder.

"Robert?..." I hardly said his name, hardly recognized the face on my shoulder, when he practically shouted a bunch of mumbo jumbo in my ear.

"Oh, Perry! It was so scary! Birdramon came, and no matter how many times I called your name you wouldn't answer. Then Takuya got all mad at me for 'screaming at the top of my lungs'," he enunciated whatever he claimed was 'Takuya speech' with an exaggerated tone, bobbing up and down for every syllable. "Then he got worried because of the fireworks in the sky. We went into this big hole, had a history lesson late at night, and met the Candlemon tribe. Oh! Tommy got his Spirit too, and JP, Zoe, Bokomon, and Neemon are close by!"

I watched him gasp for two or three seconds before recovering. And I found another feeling surfacing and pushing away my sadness: happiness. I had missed this little guy, but then I raised one eyebrow. "Where are Tommy and Takuya?" I asked, hoping Tommy was safe and Takuya had been devoured by a flock of Birdramon.

Robert filled me in on the details. The rail split into two directions? Figures. How long would it take for Takuya to realize his mistake? I'd give him three days if he didn't find a Digimon village.

"Let's race to the top of this hill," Robert suggested.

"Uh, why?" this Digimon was either just really confusing today, or I had suffered head injuries yesterday.

"Zoe and JP are catching up; I ran ahead hoping to find you. And I did! Race you to the top of this hill!"

"Alright…" I agreed, watching him float to the ground.

"On my mark, get set, go!" he exploded into movement as I did.

He was a fast little bugger, I'll give him that. Dirt seemed to suck right out behind him out of his way. I had a long stride; he had a lot of oomph in that marshmallow body. Did he run on fumes or on crack? I'd have to ask later.

We reached the top of the hill where an enormous dead tree sprawled next to the train platform. With two platforms bordering the tracks, I figured the tree must bring tourists for some reason. But I didn't focus on the landscape so soon. Robert suddenly swerved in front of me to cut me off, and my stride was cut in half. I tripped myself up and fell, groaning in the dirt. My body sagged to a stop.

"Oh," Robert said, wearing a blank face. Then he smiled. "I crossed the finish line _waaay _back there. You would have kept going if I hadn't stopped ya."

"I want a rematch," I complained. "You said the top of the hill, not the start of the top of the hill."

"I don't _feel _like it," he stated flatly, turning towards the platform.

Upon closer inspection from the dirt, I found Koji sitting on a bench. Watching us.

"Just back away slowly," Robert slowly backed up until his back was pressed up against my tennis shoe. Then he skirted around me, hiding behind me.

I stood up, and he repositioned himself behind me in a second. "Uh, Koji, this is Robert. Robert, Koji."

He made no move to respond, just watched with his death stare. Then he started to speak just as Robert floated up to my shoulder.

"I don't taste good; I'm real lean and stringy," Robert prompted him. Then he whispered to me, "Run while he's distracted."

"Lean and stringy?" Koji repeated, raising a quizzical eyebrow. "If I were to eat you, I would have to catch thirty or forty of you just to make a meal."

Robert whimpered, losing his smile. I scowled at Koji.

"You're scaring him."

"He started it," he yawned, cupping his hands to the back of his neck. "Why don't you two go get lost in the woods or something? I didn't quite get the sleep I wanted."

"You will be lost quicker than us," Robert growled. "The others are catching up; I can hear them now."

"Others?" Koji immediately looked in the direction of the base of the hill.

"Ha! Made you look!" Robert crowed, cackling. He grinned now, happy as a meadow lark.

"I'll deal with you later," he snarled, turning his head back towards the base of the hill as Zoe and JP got closer. They paused to read the sign that stated this place was Breezy Village.

"Let's hit the road, Perry," Robert said, glancing back. "I have a really bad feeling about this place."

"What do you mean?" I asked, feeling dread curl up inside my rib cage.

_Don't you feel it too? _The voice seized me, and I jumped at the sound of his voice. _Something's coming. Something quite powerful, your friend detects._

"Birdramon," I guessed, scowling at the sky. "Robert, stay with the others."

"No way," he disagreed. "What if I can't find you again?"

"You don't have your Spirit yet?" Koji's voice interrupted my train of thought. He looked unimpressed. "I should have guessed; that's why you're always having seizures."

"You don't know anything!" Robert shouted so loud my left ear started ringing. Koji looked startled at the outburst, and I heard a sound from my far right like a startled gasp.

I turned and ran down the hill, chasing the train tracks like I was about to get run over by a Trailmon. All the while Robert is shouting in my ear, "On Dasher! On Donner! On Blitzen! On Perry!"

"You can stop shouting now," I panted, the elevation dipping. Trees were starting to branch out around the landscape now; a real forest, not some dump in the middle of the forest.

"It's too quiet," he complained suddenly. Then he perked up. "Let's sing a song!"

"Um, no, you might attract something bigger than Birdramon," I slowed down to a walk, watching him.

"Uh, yes," he insisted. Then he began to hum a melody, something too complex for his voice to master. Then I began to recognize the melody as he began to sing the words.

"She put him out, like the burnin' of a midnight cigarette…She broke his heart; he spent his whole life tryin' to forget. We watched him drink his pain away, a little at a time. But he never could get drunk enough to get her off his mind, until the night...

"He put that bottle to his head and pulled the trigger…and finally drank away her memory. Life is short, but this time it was bigger…than the strength he had to get up off his knees. We found him with his face down in the pillow…with a note that said 'I'll love her till I die.' And when we buried him beneath the willow, the angels sang a whiskey lullaby. La lala la lala lah, la lala la lala lah…"

Robert stopped for a moment, scrunching up his 'eyebrows' as he struggled to think of the next verse. Then he went all tense, and then his eyes jerked open in terror.

"Firestorm!" a voice howled, and my legs reacted before my brain did, throwing me into the brush on the side of the road. Birdramon was back!

A wave of heat caused sweat to break out in a line across my forehead. Robert, who had dove to the ground, hissed, "Come on! Run!"

"What about you?" I demanded, scrambling to my feet.

"Don't worry about me. Run!" he ordered, and I seriously hoped he had a really good idea.

"Firestorm!" Birdramon howled, and the fire consumed the data in front of me as I ran.

I slid to a stop and hit the ground, banging my head on the ground. A wreath of fire exploded above me and ate away at the trees' data; was I going to turn out like those trees? Hopefully not. _Why couldn't I have had a Spirit like Takuya's? _I thought. _Then I could have a chance at beating this thing._

"Where are you, _Legendary Warrior_?" she sneered the name, and I crawled beneath some brush.

_I'm not a Legendary Warrior. I have no Spirit…I'm no one. I've never been anyone._

Anger burned like a wild fire through my veins. I jumped up from the ground and went straight up to that monster, ready to face this thing once and for all. Even if I would die.

"What do you want from me?" I demanded, holding my arms out from my sides. "I'm not a Legendary Warrior; I don't _have a Spirit_. Trying to destroy me is like destroying that dump back there, Breezy Village. There's nothing there to get rid of."

"You don't understand," she hissed, wings against her sides for a moment. "You can't be _allowed _to survive."

"Howling Laser!" The attack slammed into Birdramon, causing her to stumble back.

She whipped her head in the direction of the attack as I did, but I already knew who it was: Lobomon. If he was there, then where the heck was Robert?

"Meteor Wing!" she threw her wings as far back as possible before throwing them forward. A collage of fiery rock went straight for Lobomon, exploding once they hit the ground.

He dodged the meteors and jumped forward. "Lobo Kendo!" And he made his mistake.

"Talon Tear!" she leapt into the air and, missing his attack, raked him with her claws.

Lobomon groaned, hitting the ground for a moment and shaking as he stood. Then he scowled at her and leveled his Kendo, ready to go again.

"You can still run away," I reminded her. "Then he won't have to humiliate you."

"Saberdramon wouldn't allow it," she hissed. "He wants the Legendary Warriors destroyed after what has happened to his family; he told us to find a specific human first, one who had been seen in his dream. That is you."

"It's Cherubimon, corrupting others to do his will," Lobomon snarled. "Choose your side!"

"I stand on my side! Firestorm!"

I hit the ground as the heat wave rushed where my head just was, Lobomon firing his Howling Laser two more times.

Birdramon screamed as data whirled around her, and Lobomon used his D-Tector to take the data. Her essence disappeared into the sky, and all I could hear was silence. Koji de-Spirit evolved and pressed a button on his D-Tector, releasing the data. It restored the burnt trees and made most of the forest whole again.

"Next time you go running off, you shouldn't go without protection," he said, glaring at me. "You could have leveled the whole forest."

"Robert told you, didn't he?" I guessed wryly.

"He said you didn't have a Spirit either. Figures," he turned around and started walking back the way he came.

I was ready to come up behind him and knock him to the ground. But I stayed rooted to that spot and quietly seethed with rage. Then I heard a voice from behind me.

"I'm sorry, Perry," Robert whimpered.

I turned around, and all my anger vanished. "Where have you been?" I picked him up, setting him back on my shoulder.

"I got tired from running so much today," he admitted. "I had to take a break. Lobomon didn't want me riding on _his _shoulder, so I stuck my tongue out at him and rested by the tracks for a bit. Sounds like Zoe and JP annoyed him enough to leave."

"So now he's going back?" I shook my head. "I must really aggravate him something horrible if he's willing to go back to them. Let's find the tracks and get moving."

"Right," he agreed.

We started back for the tracks, and by the time we got there, in all of twenty seconds Robert had a song stuck in my head.

"You…are…the only exception…"

"Robert!" I groaned. "You have to stop singing that song."

"Why?" he demanded. "Is there something wrong with it?"

"Is it that you only know the refrain that you have to sing it over and over?" I asked, suddenly curious.

"Maybe," he giggled. "Maybe you should teach me the rest of it." I groaned out loud, and he started to beg. "Please…? Please, please, please?" He jumped up and down on my shoulder.

"Okay, okay," I mean, come on, it's not like I have to sing in front of other people on a regular basis. I took a deep breath and quietly exhaled.

"When I was younger, I saw…my daddy cry and curse at the wind. He broke his own heart, and I watched as he tried to re-assemble it. And my momma swore that she would never let…herself…forget. And that was the day I promised I'd never sing of love if it does not exist.

"But darling, you…are…the only exception. You…are…the only exception. You…are…the only exception. You…are…the only exception.

"Maybe I know, that somewhere deep in my soul. That love never lasts, and we've got to find other ways to make it alone…or keep a straight face. And I've always lived like this: keeping a comfortable distance and up until now I had sworn to myself that I'm content with loneliness. Because none of it was ever worth the risk. Well, you…are…the only exception. You…are…the only exception. You…are…the only exception. You…are…the only exception.

"I've got a tight grip on reality, but I can't…let go of what's in front of me here. I know you're leaving in the morning when you wake up. Leave me with some kind of proof it's not a dream. Oh...~You…are…the only exception. You…are…the only exception. You…are…the only exception. You…are…the only exception. You…are…the only exception. You…are…the only exception. You…are…the only exception. You…are…the only exception. And I'm on my way to believing; oh, and I'm on my way to believing…"

The entire time I had been walking, singing the song, Robert had been dead silent. I glanced over at him, and his mouth was wide open.

"That was amazing," he said, snapping his mouth shut and looking at me out of the corner of his eyes. "Why is it you didn't want to sing before?"

I shrugged. "I don't do a lot of it."

"I wonder if it would brighten Koji up…Nah!" We both laughed, and the sound echoed through the trees.

Then Robert sighed. "We have a bit of catching up to do, don't we? Tell me about Birdramon."

So I told him everything I knew, and he brooded on it for thirty seconds of silence. I started to go uphill, and my legs started straining.

"Birdramon was working for someone," he said slowly. "But they generally live in small flocks, not concentrated in groups larger than five. They are solitary for a reason; they digivolve to Garudamon. Garudamon are valiant, very quick for justice…and also are _gigantic_. Most Birdramon are the same way as well."

"Maybe it was just that one Birdramon who thought she should listen to this...Saberdramon." Robert cringed at that name, and that unnerved me. "What's wrong?"

"Saberdramon looks like Birdramon, only the data is infected or corrupted. So instead of being shrouded in red flames, they are black. They have a different set of attacks, and they hardly ever show themselves to other Digimon, least of all humans."

"So what would Saberdramon want with me?" I mused.

"Well…" he trailed off for a moment. "Maybe it has to do with what your Spirit will be. Takuya is the Legendary Warrior of Fire; Koji is the Legendary Warrior of Light. Maybe…you're the Warrior of…"

"I'm not a Legendary Warrior," I insisted. "Even if I were to find a Spirit, that doesn't mean anything." Why did _everyone_ automatically assume that every human was a Legendary Warrior?

"The Warrior of Sky," he finished. I stopped dead in my tracks, the idea of it running through my head. Could it be true? Would I find a Spirit, in the least, the Spirit of Sky?

"I seriously doubt that," I answered, my voice not betraying my thoughts. "Besides, if you were to guess right…"

"What if I _am _right?" he challenged, and I started walking again. Was he psychic that he thought he could get it right? Or was he just like the octopus predicting who would win which soccer games? "Would you sing in front of the others?"

I gagged, not liking this idea. "Pick something else."

"So if you turn out to be the Legendary Warrior of Sky, you have to sing in front of the others," he grinned. "This is gonna be great! Let's go find that Spirit!"

"Yeah, _if _we find it."

"Find what?" I spun around and found Koji, having obviously followed us for some distance unnoticed.

"None of your business, why were you following us?" I demanded. He shrugged my question off.

"I figured since Lavender found her Spirit, and Takuya and the other one got back, I might as well get away before they find me again."

"And follow me?" I raised an eyebrow. "How much did you hear?"

"Something about you finding a Spirit," he had no emotion, unthinkably giving me that quiet death stare.

"What if we don't want you coming with us?" Robert challenged.

"Too bad," he answered.

Crap, I thought. He's better than I thought he was. I figured it could be worse and sighed, turning my back to him. As I continued walking, Robert started spitting like a cat in my ear.

"I can't believe you're letting him come with us; he hates me. He always picks on me."

"You must make it incredibly easy for him then," I answered.

"It's rude to whisper in front of other people," Koji informed him, walking at my side. Robert scowled at him.

"He _is _right," I admitted. He muttered something incoherent under his breath and exhaled loudly. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him look from me, to Koji, to me again. Then he exhaled again, louder this time.

"Do you _mind_?" Koji glared at him. "I can hardly think with you making all those sounds and talking."

"Excuse _me_, but I was here first. You will just have to wait your turn to be in control of the volume," Robert was smug.

"Or I could throw you into the forest. That would definitely keep the volume down…"

"I could always run back; as you already know, I beat Perry in that race earlier." Koji didn't answer him, and Robert was smug again. "You know, I bet I could beat you in a race too."

"Give it a rest," Koji growled, and the Poyomon snickered on my shoulder. I was just about to get really annoyed with him until I felt a stinging sensation scream up my spine.

I leaped forward in my stride, gripping the back of my neck with both of my hands. Robert, startled, jumped off of me and landed with a thud in the dirt. I took a few more steps forward before stopping, rubbing the back of my neck. I took a deep breath, shaking, and exhaled quietly.

"What was that about?" Koji asked, his voice not betraying his feelings. "Did Marshmallow hit a nerve?"

"Now listen here, buddy," Robert snarled. "I am _not_, nor will I ever _be_, a marshmallow. And she won't ever trust _you _enough to tell you what's wrong."

"Just relax…you alright, Perry?" this time he let himself sound a little concerned.

"Fine," I snapped, my boiling blood leaking into my voice. _So quick to come back, huh?_

_Did you miss me? _He sounded vaguely amused, if not tired.

"If you're fine, let's keep moving," he walked past me, his heel quite close to Robert.

"It's _him_, isn't it?" Robert guessed wryly.

"It always is," I answered, grinding my teeth together as I straightened. "Let's keep moving."

"Are you sure…?" he trailed off when I looked down at him. I nodded, face emotionless. Nervous, he floated up to my shoulder. "Just take it easy, okay?"

"You worry too much," I told him.

"Eh…" he responded, not really in the mood to talk anymore.

I caught up to Koji, feeling the pain in my neck starting to rise up to the back of my head. Strange.

"Forest Terminal, right?" I ran a hand through my hair, cupping my right ear for a moment.

"Yeah," he answered.

Maybe the Forest Terminal would be closer than Robert speculated. But somehow, someway, I seriously doubted that.


	6. Chapter 5 Morti and Morti

Chapter 5.

I woke up from a nap alongside the train tracks, Robert mumbling in his sleep on my shoulder. Koji had headed off on his own, much to Robert's pleasure, and we had decided to take a short break. Unfortunately…I had dozed off almost immediately. Robert had quickly followed my lead and took a nap as well. My back rested on sandstone walls bordering the train tracks. Koji hadn't followed this set of tracks…maybe he had backtracked to where I had seen another set heading for the mountains.

"Mm…Robert, wake up," I stretched my arms out in front of me.

"Eh…" he didn't respond any further.

I shook my head in disbelief and slowly stood up. An uncomfortable feeling settled in my back as I got up, seizing my muscles like I had just been tackled by a rugby player. He never gave up, did he? Robert suddenly made an abrupt rumbling sound in the back of his throat.

"Robert," I groaned, and his eyes snapped open. His snore cut off immediately.

"Yes?" he inquired. I just shook my head and mumbled my response.

"Never mind."

Sand blasted up towards my face, blown by a Trailmon. I whirled around, throwing my arm up to protect my eyes.

"Lovely," I internally cursed myself for not following Koji when I had the chance.

"Hey! It's Perry and that white-thingy!" Takuya's voice made me wince.

"My name is Robert. R-o-b-e-r-t," Robert corrected as if in a spelling bee.

"So why are you two following these tracks?" JP asked, studying me with caution. "Are you headed for the Forest Terminal too?"

"Attempting to," I answered.

"Attempting?" Robert repeated stupidly, like he didn't agree with my original theory of following Koji.

"Then you can hang with us," Takuya suggested. "Let's get out of this wind."

"I've never been in a storm this bad…well, ever!" Tommy was behind me, next to Takuya as we pushed forward.

"It should settle soon," I assured him.

"My ears are full of sand," Neemon commented, almost proudly.

"Yes...and your head is full of rocks," Bokomon confirmed. I ignored them and heard Robert whimper.

"What is it?" I asked.

"We should turn around. Now."

"Is it Saberdramon?" I was nervous now, wanting a better explanation than 'we should turn around'. I didn't see anything in this weather…unless Robert's Spider Sense was tingling.

"No, but something's not right," he insisted.

Abruptly the wind died down, and the sand settled. We were in front of a huge factory, built of strangely high-tech concrete and iron. Wind Factory Corporation sketched into the stone above the lavender gates. The gate was sided by the thick sandstone that had bordered the tracks for quite a while now…and the train tracks went straight inside the factory.

"Welcome to Wind Factory Incorporated," Bokomon said, just in case we couldn't read.

"A division of Mother Nature Enterprises!" Neemon added, pleased with this ironic knowledge. I yawned as I stepped up to the gateway, but then I hesitated. What if Robert was right?

"What is it, Perry?" Takuya asked, stopping at my side. "Did you see something?"

There were some Digimon; Bokomon later called them Kokuwamon, marching across the sand towards an entry into the factory. They had a magnet-like head and red eyes, metal jet-like wings, and no sense of balance whatsoever when it came to walking. Their legs were made of iron or steel with three toes and had arms that ended in two crane-like hands. Several electrical plug-ins stuck out from them as well.

"Hey, some Digimon," he noted, following my gaze.

"Kokuwamon are a Machine Digimon; when frightened, they let out a million volt electrical charge. Their special attack is Power Surge," Bokomon informed us with his green book. Promptly after, all the Kokuwamon fell on their heads. Which proves my earlier point. "Well, if there are that many Digimon here, there must be some food around here somewhere."

"Alright!" Takuya exclaimed, running past me and the gate. "Let's have us a feast!"

_Food? _I thought to myself, wondering how long it had been since I had eaten. _But what if Robert is right? Would whatever is after me come after the others if I were to stay? I suppose it couldn't hurt…I'd have to ask Robert._

"Robert, it's your call," I told him.

"Well…" he hesitated, trying to push down a smile. "Maybe we could find something to eat. But after that, we have to leave. Right?"

"Right," I agreed by one hundred percent.

"But Takuya, hold on!" JP suddenly spoke up, stepping up to my side. Takuya hesitated and turned towards him.

"Why? What's up?" Takuya stepped closer, curious. I sighed and started through the gate; if I waited every time someone said my name, I would lose

"Listen Taky, as long as you're heading out to get some food, would you mind bringing me an order to go with extra everything?" he sounded way too hopeful. And I chuckled at Takuya's response.

"What?" he sounded startled, and then he was quite defiant. "I'm not the Pizzamon; it's every tummy for itself. Ruff!" He ran past me.

"Hey!" JP protested, chasing after him. The others were in quick pursuit.

"Last one to fill their plate is a rotten egg!" Takuya called behind his shoulder. "Woohoo!"

The several alarms placed precariously on the stone arch above the gate doors began to ring, but we were already running anyways. Robert ducked out of reflex, like loud noises meant something was exploding too close by.

"It's the security alarm," I told him. He shook his head and gave me a stern look.

"We both know that was the sound of a Pteramon attacking from above; you just didn't look up at the sky." I looked up, and he cackled.

"There _is _no Pteramon. If there was, we'd probably have gotten blown up by now." _Figures._

The others stopped as a Digimon hanging from a white rope-like thread came in out of nowhere. I slowed down and positioned myself towards the front of the group.

"Warning! Warning! Warning! A warning from Minomon!" The head was a pale yellow with two pool ball eyes. Small ears were mounted on its head with its mouth quite like a…insect. Two jaws moving together so that the mouth could produce sound; the rest of its body was a brown pinecone. The voice was too high pitched for me to distinguish whether or not it was male or female.

"Hi there!" Neemon answered as Bokomon paged through his green book.

"Are you not listening to me?" the creature squeaked. "I said, 'Warning! Warning!'."

"We heard you the first time," I informed the creature, who squinted at me in response before focusing back on the others.

"They're Larva Digimon," Bokomon said, sounding somewhat unimpressed. Maybe he had had a run in with some of this type before.

"Warning!" it squeaked again. "No trespassers allowed in the Wind Factory! No entry! Leave now; go home!"

Takuya made a whimpering sound, like a dying cat. JP followed up with a groan, and Robert finished with an impatient exhale.

"That's a little bit beyond impossible," the Poyomon stated, glowering at them. "I want to speak to the manager."

"Stop! If you don't obey our warning, we will commence our fierce attack!" Two more Minomon appeared out of nowhere, dropping next to the original and ignoring Robert's threat. "You have now been warned; what we're trying to say is…GET OUT!" They all spoke simultaneously, loud and high-pitched.

Scared, Takuya and JP moved a few steps back. JP proceeded to add, shaking, "Now would be a really good time for me; I'd wait in the car if we had one." I took a step forward, ready to take on whatever they had coming at us. _They're just big round bug-infested pinecones, not rabid three-headed bears._

"Boys," Zoe rolled her eyes, stepping up to the Minomon and standing next to me. "Excuse me, but we're just here for a tour of the factory."

The Minomon made a huddle and murmured to each other for a moment. JP grimaced. "Let's make the first tour stop the exit door, okay?"

"Then come on down!" the Minomon exclaimed, and Zoe grinned as JP fell to the ground in shock.

Robert giggled in my ear, and I bit back a smile as well. _Poor kid._

* * *

I followed the others into the factory, reminiscing as they marveled at the working Kokuwamon. Their words faded into the background as my thoughts lingered elsewhere: a whole other world away.

"_There's someone on the phone for you," Mom set the phone on my desk as I attempted to finish several haiku poems for school. "He says his name is Rich."_

"_Rich?" I repeated, confused. Then it dawned on me, and I snatched up the phone. "Thanks Mom…Hello?"_

"_Hey," he was relieved to hear my voice. "You hardly answer my calls anymore. What's going on?" I waited for my mom to be out of earshot before quietly closing my room's door._

"_I'm sorry about that…" I trailed off, not sure of what to say to back up my apology. "My parents haven't quite been, uh…"_

"_They've been fighting, haven't they?" he guessed._

"_Yeah," all the breath kicked out of my lungs. "Pretty much."_

"_Sounds like you need a break from Japan; you should visit sometime. I mean, think about it. When was the last time you got out of the city? Out of Japan?"_

"_Uh…" I stammered, trying to remember._

"_Exactly!" he insisted. "I mean, unless your parents are having money problems…"_

"_No, it's not like that. It's just…Ryan." _

"_Oh," we both fell silent for a moment. "We all feel awful about it, Rin. But there's nothing we can do anymore. It's been two months; I want to see you."_

"_I miss you too," I admitted, sitting down at the desk chair. "I've had dreams about going back…not all of them are great, but I still want to go back."_

"_Ah," he groaned suddenly. "I've got to go, but just think about it, okay? I mean..."_

"_I know; I'll call you sometime next week."_

"_Thanks, bye."_

"_Bye," I hit the end call button and slumped in the chair._

"Are you enjoying your tour?" Minomon's voice startled me out of my memory. The others reluctantly pulled their faces from the window.

"Yes," Zoe smiled, the only one who hadn't been dying to materialize into the next room.

"Are there any questions?"

"Can we slide on this floor in our socks?" Neemon asked. _Did he…? Never mind._

"If you feel you must, sure," Minomon nodded.

Suddenly JP started doing the funky chicken, hopping back and forth on his feet. I stared at him for a moment and tried to decide whether to be worried or not. "What are you doing?"

"I really need to find a bathroom, like right now!"

"It's on the left!" the Larva Digimon called as he raced down the hallway. I rolled my eyes before returning my attention to the factory.

I glanced behind the glass where the Kokuwamon were working, under the careful watch of several Goblimon. They were green-skinned Ogre Digimon, Bokomon had said. Too bright of red hair, ten times brighter than mine, had sprouted from the top of their head. Two small fangs protruded from its large mouth; they dressed in brown clothes with a belt around their waist. Most of them had a club in hand.

"Is this what you meant earlier?" I murmured to Robert. He wasn't sure.

"Not exactly…Goblimon aren't quite intelligent enough to worry me; they must be working for someone. Kokuwamon are timid Digimon, and it wouldn't surprise me if they were working here out of fear."

"Keep your eyes open then." Robert didn't answer, brooding.

"Let's keep moving," Takuya said, following the Minomon. We went down the right hallway and kept going until it was clear JP was lagging. "Hey JP! Hurry up, did you fall in?"

Robert cackled at that, and JP was quick to come as he had been standing in the middle of the hallway. "I'm coming already!"

We moved on to a large, airy room that housed a large crane with three or four conveyor belts feeding grey fans into what I assumed was a storage unit. It was rounded on the bottom with a main tube stretching to the ceiling.

"This is the backbone of Wind Factory," Minomon explained. "It's where all the latest ultra high tech Super Machines are made!" I raised my eyebrows. _So where were these machines?_

"You call _that _an ultra high tech Super Machine?" Bokomon was unimpressed. "Please." I took a closer look at the conveyor belt and found my answer staring me in the face.

"A fan?" Tommy was baffled.

"And an ugly one at that; I mean, grey is _so _out," Zoe added.

"What's so high tech about a stupid fan?" JP asked in the same opinion as Zoe.

I held back a sigh; I had had just about enough of this. I had plenty of encounters with technology, most of which consisted of me shocking myself with a screwdriver and an electrical socket or burning myself trying to take a light bulb out of a socket. My stomach reminded me again that I was getting hungrier.

"Hey!" Minomon protested. "It beats a folded piece of paper! Now, before we give you some lovely parting gifts, are there any questions?"

"Yeah!" everyone shouted simultaneously, startling me. "Where's the cafeteria?" I took a step away from them. Just to be safe.

Robert was cracking up by the time we reached the cafeteria. Not that it annoyed me that he was enjoying himself…but I didn't know _how _he was enjoying himself. This was a factory for crying out loud. I stopped outside the cafeteria's entrance to demand an explanation.

"Okay, spill it. What's so funny?"

"Kokuwamon are Machine type Digimon," he explained. "They feed on electrical charges to keep themselves from rusting so easily. This isn't filled with Goblimon, now is it?" I stole a look inside the room. Just tons of Kokuwamon and our little group of hungry, hungry tourists.

"Yeah? So what do Kokuwamon eat then?"

"Batteries," he giggled. "They suck the energy out of batteries."

I turned around to find the hungry tourists staring unhappily at the plates that were set in front of them…piled high with batteries. The two older boys looked about to cry while Zoe and Tommy couldn't believe what was on their plates. _At least I won't be the rotten egg_, I thought.

"Say," Tommy whispered to the Minomon. "Don't you have any sugary treats lying around, you know, for special guests?"

"How about a Double A pie?" Minomon suggested.

"No thanks!" they all barked, scaring the Minomon out of its wits. It fled the cafeteria and nearly slammed into me.

Robert descended from my shoulder, floating over to the table. He landed on Bokomon's plate with a plop. Experimentally he popped a battery in his mouth. He pushed it into his right cheek, his left, and then spat it out. It hit the side of the table and fell on the floor. He gagged, coughing at the same time.

"Yuck!" he gasped. "Yep, they're batteries."

We headed out of the factory, back-tracking. _I should have followed Koji, _I thought miserably. _I wasted all this time...I should have denied that sleep._

"I'm hungry," Robert complained loudly in my ear. "Can't we go back? I want to try the batteries again."

"No," I answered. "You can go back yourself if you want to trick yourself into eating them."

"Humph!" His stomach growled in my ear like a monster in the woods. I wouldn't be able to stand it much longer, I would think, before I went utterly insane. _It will either be him or the voice in my head, which has been quite silent throughout this whole charade._

"Hi there," a voice said from behind me. I froze and slowly turned around. He was human, his arms at his sides. He was considerably tall with dark red hair, the darkest shade of mine. Brown eyes watched me with a tiredness that showed he hadn't slept in days. He wore a white long sleeve shirt that buttoned up to his neck with a collar; dark jeans went down to his bare feet. The warm sand didn't seem to faze him at all. "What did you do in the Factory?"

"None of your business," Robert answered flatly. "Let's go."

"Your friends aren't very observative," he noted. I turned slightly to see Takuya kick a battery that his shoe had uncovered in the sand. "Strange bunch."

"You also are reasonably strange. You are quite older than the other humans," Robert reasoned. I refocused on him; Robert was right. The boy had to be at least a sophomore in high school despite him being just slightly shorter than JP.

"Doesn't shock me," he shrugged. "This place is full of surprises. What Terminal did you get off at?"

I didn't answer; I had no faith or trust in him whatsoever. He sighed like he knew this souring fact and put his hands in his pockets. He looked down at his feet for a brief moment before looking back up. He _looked _apologetic. "My name is Ryuu Morti; I uh, I'm sorry if I frightened you. I haven't met anything friendly since I got here."

"Morti?" I repeated, a feeling of dread crawling down my stomach. _How does he have my same last name? Are we related?_

Robert sucked in a breath too. What did this mean? Ryan didn't have a Japanese last name because Mom had said something when he was born about keeping both Japanese _and _Canadian culture alive. But another Morti? He could have been an older version of Ryan, just a ton less into sports and a whole lot more troubled. Less outspoken. I couldn't even begin to count the chance of this being just a random coincidence.

"Yeah, after my dad," he said without giving away any more hints. I swallowed hard and tried to recover.

"My name is Rin," I said, not wanting to give him any puzzles. My own name felt strange on my tongue. Robert remained silent and didn't comment. "You didn't scare me. You just, sort of…"

"We look quite similar, don't we?" he mused. "You gave me a heart attack when you came out of the Factory. I hope to understand why that is in time."

"Good luck with that," Robert responded. "Let's go, Rin." I was too out of sync to realize he had used my actual name.

"Can I ask you something, actually?" he ran one hand down the back of his head and stopped at his neck. "I know this sounds like an accusation, or worse than it really is, but I need to figure some things out. Have you heard of Saberdramon?"

Robert tightened instinctively which alerted Ryuu; he knew even before Robert spoke. "So what if we have?"

"You have?" he sounded relieved, like he couldn't bear to keep it a secret any longer. "He's been chasing me for three days. Even with my Spirit he's been persistent, I mean, I didn't even attack him. I was just walking along, and he dive bombed me. He went all psychotic and kept asking where his daughter was, his Digi-Egg. When he did finally force me to Spirit Evolve, I had a hard time even hitting him at all or sustaining damage."

"He sent Birdramon after me," I told him. "And she seemed easy enough to defeat…well, for Koji that is."

"One of those guys?" he rolled his head towards the others.

"No, he didn't stop at the Factory. He turned around and headed out right away. He…"

"He doesn't like us very much, but he likes us better than the other four," Robert confirmed before frowning. "Digi-Egg, huh? What could be stupid enough to take a Digi-Egg from a Digimon like Saberdramon? Digimon aren't supposed to be able to watch over Digi-Eggs anyways…"

"It doesn't need to be stupid," I reminded him. "It just has to have enough stealth and power to get in and out as fast as possible. You met any Digimon that might fall under that category?"

"Um, it really wouldn't make a difference. What with all the corrupting that's going on, it wouldn't surprise me if any Digimon would want to steal the egg to use Saberdramon. Although I doubt he would cooperate under hostage circumstances…" He trailed off before scowling. "I can't think straight when I'm hungry. Something's not matching up."

"He's blaming DigiDestined, isn't he?" Ryuu added. "We only first got here a few days ago. So that means either someone else got here before us or is acting like a Legendary Warrior."

"Or there were Legendary Warriors here before us," the idea sounded too good to be true. "Digital Legendary Warriors?"

We exchanged glances for a moment, considering the possibility. I mean, come on. Wouldn't it be a whole lot easier for the Digimon if there were some Legendary Warriors who were actually Digimon? The Spirits were obviously from a Digimon, but it was a bunch of humans who were going to use them. So…who could the Digimon be? How many were there, and were they for or against Cherubimon?

"I'm running circles too," I admitted. "This is a lot to think about."

"We have to find that egg though," Robert insisted. His stomach growled incessantly in my ear; he chuckled nervously. "I just hope there's something edible where we're going. Even vegetation would do."

"You're hungry?" Ryuu raised an eyebrow. "Didn't they have food in the factory?"

"Batteries," Robert and I answered. Ryuu cracked a smile.

"I haven't eaten since the Human World either."

"We'll adjust," I changed the topic. "Where should we start looking for this egg?"

"I don't know…there's a town close to Karatsukinumemon Mountain. Maybe someone down there picked it up," he shrugged. "I can fly us all there, assuming you don't wait a ton." I narrowed my eyes.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He must not have hung around that many girls, assuming that he had any siblings. His behavior unnerved me, how at ease he seemed with throwing people's weight around. Especially with me in general.

"Erm, nothing," he stammered. "I just can't fly as fast when I'm carrying people or Digimon, that's all."

"Hold on," Robert said, and we stepped a few feet away to talk privately.

"Do you trust him?" I whispered. "I usually get a good feel from their body language, but there's something different about him. I don't know if it should freak me out or if it shouldn't bother me at all."

"We have to tell Takuya before we leave," he reminded me. "I think this guy knows what he's talking about. Besides, he looks so similar to you…I want to know why."

"Seriously?" I took a quick glance at Ryuu. "You're sure?"

"We're trusting all sorts of people and Digimon lately; why does one more person make a difference? He's DigiDestined, destined for great things."

"Yeah," I admitted. Robert was usually right. "Would you mind going to talk to Kanbara for me? I really don't feel like watching any waterworks or such today."

"He likes Zoe; you shouldn't be overly concerned," Robert floated with the wind to the ground and zoomed like a madman on a dirt bike in the direction the others had gone. Only Robert didn't have a dirt bike. He went away so fast I hardly had time to register what he said. _Well…I guess that takes care of my problems, for now._

I returned to Ryuu and stopped in front of him. "It will probably take him longer to talk to Takuya than to get from there back here. I'll give him a minute and a half."

He nodded. Then he focused on me a little more closely. "Do I know you? You look awfully familiar."

"If you know me, I don't know you," I answered, putting my right hand on the back of my neck. Should I tell him about Ryan? Or should I leave it be? I suppose it couldn't hurt… "You uh, you sort of remind me of my younger brother."

"Really? What's he like?" he asked, instantly curious. I bit my lip. His response became hesitant and guarded. "I don't mean to be pushy or anything…"

"No, it is okay," I took a deep breath. "Ryan drowned six months ago, when we went to my mom's cottage in Canada. I just miss him."

"I'm sorry," he mumbled, looking down at his feet.

Robert zoomed back to me, bouncing off my shoe into the air. He plastered himself to my shoulder. "Well? Spirit Evolve already, we've got an egg to find!"

Ryuu pulled a gold and black D-Tector from his pocket and flipped it in his hand. "Execute! Spirit Evolution…" Data swirled around him and tightened before vanishing. "Aetherbaitomon!"

Deer fur-brown armor covered his arms, torso, and legs, while his feet were black. Three talons grew from his toes; his wings were large with the feathers being gold tipped with black. Red eyes glowed inside his steel armor that covered from his nearly invisible bird ear to the beginning of his beak. The only place without any armor was his neck and ankles, where black feathers shined. His arms were separate from his wings, capable of bearing a black sword that was hooked to his back between his wings. He stood about as tall as Agunimon: pretty darn tall.

"Um, wow," Robert stuttered.

"Yeah," I breathed. There was something different about his Spirit than Lobomon or Agunimon. A certain…perfection to it, like there was nothing better than this Digimon. That this Digimon helped to hold me to the ground and kept me from floating off into space. My gravity.

"What?" Aetherbaitomon looked down at himself before back at us. "Aren't you two coming?"

"We're coming," we answered as I stepped up to him.

"Bend over, you're not carrying me the entire way," I said, giving his leg a shove

"You trying to push me or something? You're wasting your time; I'm bending."

He bent the rest of the way to the ground, and I managed to get between his shoulders. He secured my legs with his hands, holding just above my ankles.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Oh yeah! Give us your all!" Robert challenged.

"Whatever you say," he took off running and spread open his wings.

I've been in automobiles, planes, and even a helicopter once. But flying on the back of a bird defied all logic; _flying _defied logic. How could we fly with all this weight weighing him down? How…? _You're being too scientific, _I thought. _Stop thinking. _Aetherbaitomon reached a decent height and hit some thermals, floating back and forth on the hot air as he moved forward.

"This is…!"

"Amazing!" Robert finished for me, exhilarated. I could see for miles; I could even see the mountains in the distance. Just which one was the mountain we were heading for?

"Isn't it?" Aetherbaitomon chuckled. "Despite all the fighting and all…I don't mind this at all. It's so much more beautiful here, more than the Human World. Just about as many problems…but so different." Without thinking about it

"Yeah," I put my hands under his neck feathers and spread out my fingers without thinking about it. He twitched under my touch. "How long did it take you to find your Spirit?"

"It wasn't too hard to find; my D-Tector let this little radar screen pop up. It showed me right where it was…right afterwards Saberdramon came and kicked the tar out of me, so it wasn't quite as fulfilling as it could have been."

"Takuya and Koji found their Spirits in Flame Terminal," Robert said, nodding. "It's not surprising that you found it so close by. Were you the only one on the Trailmon?"

"Yeah, Raccoon Dog was the Trailmon who took me to the Digital World; he was sort of surprised when he dropped me off. He told me good luck and to just follow the rails, you know? Follow your heart and your D-Tector."

A thought occurred to me; I pulled out my D-Tector and examined its white surface. "Your D-Tector is gold with a black edge, right?"

"Uh…yeah, I guess it is," he answered, confused by my question. "I never really thought about it. Why?"

"Well…Takuya's D-Tector is red with the edge black; Koji's is white with the edge a dark blue. I'm thinking that the color has something to do with each person and their Spirit, you know?"

"So what does that make me?" Aetherbaitomon snorted. "Symbolism?"

"I don't know," I shrugged. "I just thought…"

"Agunimon is red and black," Robert suggested. "Maybe we're not going to get settled with just one Spirit after all; I mean, a lot of Digimon have several evolutions."

Another Spirit? I had enough problems just looking for one. But I suppose Robert could be right…right?

"Maybe…" Ryuu adjusted his wings to the wind. "I guess we'll find out, won't we?"

"I guess so," I smiled briefly. Then I looked down at his black feathers.

I sure hoped so.


	7. Chapter 6 My Turn

Chapter 6.

We stopped about two miles from the village that Ryuu had earlier described. The sky had darkened hours before, and Robert was snoring by the time Aetherbaitomon landed. The three moons glowed in the sky and bounced light off of the tracks.

_Koji's everywhere, isn't he? _I mused, sitting down in the sand a few feet from the tracks. _But if he is the light, who is the darkness?_

"What is the name of the Spirit you have?" I asked Ryuu as he sat down next to me, stretching out his legs.

"Uh, the Spirit of Void, I think." I raised an eyebrow. He thinks?

"Isn't Void supposed to represent nothing? The things we can't see but that which we name?" He made a face, annoyed but also disappointed in my apparent lack of knowledge.

"It's not _nothing_. What do you know about the elements?" he put his arms behind his head.

"The four basic elements are earth, fire, water, and air, or wind," I shrugged. "Unless you mean elements in the Periodic Table: iron, steel, cadmium, and all that."

"Some depict them as five elements, actually," he smiled. "Earth, fire, and water are always there. Fire destroys and helps Earth replant and grow. Water keeps Earth…well, watered. Some portray, instead of Wind and Air, they portray it all under Sky. Sky is like the mother figure; tons of books refer to the idea as Mother Sky."

"Likewise with Father Earth," I rolled my eyes. _What was it with Robert, Ryuu, and the sky? _"So what's this fifth element then?"

"That would be aether."

"Ether?" I repeated, confused.

"It is pronounced the same way," he answered. "Aristotle's system portrayed Aether as having no qualities, like being hot or cold. It moved in circles." He moved his hand in a circular motion. "It's not material like the bigger three elements; it shares the same qualities as Sky: non-material and penetrative. The Greeks had tons of ideas."

I took it all in with the growing subtle silence. _He must've spent all his time in the Human World studying; I wonder how he knows so much about his element? Or did it come with receiving his Spirit? The Spirits are obviously powerful, but to what extent? _

Ryuu took in my sudden silence as annoyance and got up. He moved a good ten feet away and lay down in the sand. "See you in the morning."

"Yeah," I responded numbly, lying on my back with Robert still snoring softly in my ear. "Good night."

* * *

I woke up from a dream, surprisingly well rested for having slept on the sand. The three moons had faded from the sky and left a radiant pinky and orange sky for the daybreak. Robert wasn't snoring any more but remained silent. He was in the sand next to me watching the tracks.

"Morning, sleepy," he teased. "I thought for sure you were never going to stop twitching."

"Twitching?" I repeated, propping myself up on my elbows.

"You must've had some crazy dream or something. Even Ryuu rolled over and asked if you were having a nightmare or something. Were you?"

"I don't remember," I admitted. "Sometimes I get a little restless, but I feel fine."

"I hope so," Ryuu mumbled, and I turned my head towards the sleepy DigiDestined boy. He was standing, stretching his arms behind his head and yawning simultaneously. "I thought you'd never shut up for a while there."

I scowled at him and proceeded to ignore him. "Robert, what do you know about this Karatsukinumemon Mountain?"

"Not a whole lot, the name speaks for itself," he smiled. "Guess who lives there?"

"Karatsukinumemon, obviously," Ryuu rolled his eyes. "But we're not interested in their little hill of a mountain; we're looking for Saberdramon's egg."

"Since when did you become Koji?" Robert retorted, sending him an annoyed look. _This guy sure isn't an early bird; that'll be a good warning for the next person who tries traveling with me. Robert isn't taking him too well right now either. _"The town is before the mountain anyways. It was Perry's question."

"Perry?" he raised an eyebrow. I stood up and stretched my arms as Robert floated up to my shoulder.

"It's a long story," I yawned again. "The short version is that my little brother liked Perry better than Rin, and it sort of stuck. Rin also translates as 'cold', and I've been informed I'm not very good at being a cold person."

"Do you prefer one or the other?" Ryuu asked. It was a standard, obvious question.

"Perry…I just didn't want to explain back at the Factory."

"It's your name. Now let's get moving," he walked over to the tracks and started the first of several thousand that we might end up taking today. I looked at Robert, who shrugged what would have been his shoulders. Then I took my first step, then the next.

I had sunk into a pattern by the time I had caught up to Ryuu. He moved like he was sore and was probably going to be grouchy for the rest of the day. _I probably would too if my back was twisted like a pretzel._

_Inevitably, _the voice sounded bored. But the pain, white hot in the back of my neck, was as real as ever.

* * *

The two miles were shorter than I had anticipated. The village was smaller than Fire Terminal but was more inhabited with many types of Digimon wandering through it. Buildings were white with sky blue and light purple roofs. The streets were concrete covered in sand from outside of town.

Robert, perched on my shoulder like a parrot, was overeager to explore this place from top to bottom. He bounced without moving his feet and kept it up while he talked. "Come on, come on, come on! We've got an egg to find while the sun is still up!"

"Just relax," Ryuu yawned from the umpteenth time. "We'll have plenty of time." A smell reached my nose…rice, being cooked and ever so fresh. My stomach growled. "I'm going to take a look around; you ask around as well. Meet you on the other side of the village, by the tracks."

"No problem," Robert agreed, and then he smiled smugly. "Just don't break anything."

Ryuu lifted his arm behind his head as he walked. _This kid would really get along with Koji. _I rolled my eyes. _But_ _one Koji _is_ enough._

"Well, let's talk to some Digimon in the shops. Maybe this guy bought something on the way; Digimon get hungry all the time," Robert suggested.

"Yeah, but not all of them have money," I reminded, walking towards the nearest open shop. Robert grumbled something under his breath, indignant.

The first shop was one where a gigantic yellow beetle Digimon was cooking curry and several other types of rice. He had six arms with black glove-covered fists. His antennae were bent at a ninety degree angle to the ground; a solid black line marked under his red eyes. He wore a thick white rope around his waist with some sort of garment hanging from it. All in all built like a sumo wrestler…with an oversized purple beaded necklace hanging around his neck.

"Excuse us," I said, catching his attention. "Have you seen anyone with a DigiEgg here in the last several days?"

"Didn't stop in here if he was here," the beetle responded. His eyes slid from Robert to me. "Could I interest you in today's special?"

"Sorry, no," Robert was tempted, but not tempted enough. "We don't have any money; thanks for the help."

We stepped outside, and Robert gave a sudden exasperated sigh. "One down, several dozens to go."

In the end we tried fourteen places that sold food and six that sold herbs, medicines, and several other Digimon household objects. Like suction cups to keep your bed attached to the wall. Two or three sold beaded necklaces, seven colors of multi-purpose duck tape, and sixty four colors of gift wrapping tissue. None of them had any clue whatsoever when it came down to a mysterious Digimon, or any Digimon for that matter, that had a DigiEgg.

"Let's take a break," Robert suggested. I didn't know about him, but I was ready to crash.

"Gladly," I sat down with my back against the outer wall of the duct tape shop. "I don't think the egg even came down one of these streets. You would think that someone would have seen something."

A yellow centipede Digimon scuttled past us chattering to a pink, flying bird Digimon. My eyes slid from a cactus Digimon to a little red skunk Digimon, nervously standing in the middle of the street. His gaze kept sliding from me to the ground back up to me.

"He has me baffled," Robert jumped down onto my knees. "I can't think straight; you didn't let me get enough sleep last night."

"You could have slept on the way _to _the village too," I reminded him, glancing up at the skunk again.

Robert mumbled something incomprehensible about humans understanding the needs of other species. Then he cleared his throat loudly. "Well, if you're done dissing me, we should talk about what to do next. I mean, not that I don't like looking for eggs, but whoever took it is probably taking extremely good care of it. I would rather start looking for your Spirit."

Oh…my Spirit. It hadn't crossed my mind at all this morning. Taking out my D-Tector, I stared at its blank screen. Would having a Spirit change everything? It seemed to. All that power and responsibility…it hardly seemed real. But…Koji, Takuya, Zoe, and even Tommy didn't seem to have a problem with it. Heck, they loved it by the way it sounded and from I had seen. The same sort of thing probably wouldn't have bothered me…but were Spirits like people? "I don't know, Robert. This egg is a big deal; we need to secure it before we even start worrying about my Spirit. We'll find it on the way, I think."

"Hm," he answered, watching the skunk more closely. Now that I thought about it, the Digimon had been following us around the village. Not closely, but just enough to keep an eye on us.

"What is that Digimon?" I asked as he ducked into a bakery.

"Elecmon," he answered stiffly. "There is a small group of them in the forest back at Fire Terminal, near where Koji got his Spirit. Cowardly, obviously, but they aren't trouble makers."

"Let's have a chat with him then," I stood up, and Robert moved to sit on my shoe as I moved.

"Ugh! Ugh, ugh, ugh," Robert responded as my shoe connected with the concrete.

"Keep your mouth closed or you'll bite your tongue," I warned.

"Too late," he responded after another 'ugh!'

Elecmon met me in the entryway of the bakery, embarrassed and kicking the dirt with his right foot. He was almost half as tall as me with his ears standing erect. His arms were relatively small but had stocky legs; three white claws were on the ends of his hands and feet. Purple marked between his ears, the tips of his ears, face, legs, and his fan-like tail.

"I uh, I heard you were looking for a DigiEgg?" he touched the tips of his claws together. I got down on my knees to be at his eye level.

"We're not going to hurt you; we have to return the egg to a friend," I told him. Robert sniffed.

"Yeah, some friend. But we still need to know," Robert added quickly, clashing his statements.

"I'm Elecmon; who are you?" the Digimon asked.

"This is Perry, I'm Robert," the Poyomon answered. "Now what can you tell us about this DigiEgg?"

"No one knew who he was, but he was carrying a DigiEgg marked by a ring of black flames. He was mostly brown and had a rounded head. He stood just a bit taller than you and definitely wider. I'm sorry I don't know more."

"Where was he heading?" I asked. The answer I got shocked me.

"Well, I think he was heading for Karatsukinumemon Mountain, actually. He followed the tracks out of town yesterday morning, and the tracks in this area go up and over the mountain. Another human passed through just after he did." Koji? I bet all the Digital World's money that I didn't have on it.

"Thank you, Elecmon," Robert bowed his head respectfully, and we went on our way.

"That means one of two things," I said as the Poyomon floated up to my shoulder.

"One obviously means we may have to fight someone to get this egg back, I'm guessing," he responded. "Two would be?"

"Two is that this guy is going to have a really, really bad day if we catch up to him. Hopefully he got a late start." He snorted.

"Yeah, soon it will be midday. Nobody travels at midday in the middle of a desert." I rolled my eyes at his ignorance.

"Look over there, see those green things?"

"Trees," Robert responded. "But there's also a patch of desert around the mountain, with a ton of rock formations. Even if you did find a Trailmon to take you up the mountain, he would have to go up at a ninety degree angle straight up in the air. Imagine being on a Trailmon at that angle, or any angle that high up in the air for that matter without stability."

"Aetherbaitomon can fly," I reminded him.

"Yah," he retorted. "I want to see his human face when we fly up nice and close to that piece of rock. If there isn't any wind, he's going to have to flap all his tail feathers off getting up there." I internally sighed. _I hope this little rivalry is nothing more than Robert trying to show off; Koji isn't going to like this one bit. _"Speak of the devil, there he is."

My eyes slid to the right where Ryuu was talking to one of those yellow centipede Digimon. He noticed us immediately and came towards us, waving good-bye to the Digimon. Stopping a few feet away, he examined our facial expressions. "I'm assuming that you found something? Because all I found is a bunch of Digimon who really wanted to sell me food. Which I really wanted to buy, by the way."

"The thief just left town yesterday morning; we should head for the mountain. If he decides to take his time, we might be able to catch him in a day and a half without stopping," I looked from Robert to Ryuu. They had no expressions, debating.

"Alright," Robert took a deep breath and looked down at his stomach. "I'm going to have to start eating at my extra calories or something. I'll be as skinny as you two by the time I'm done with this quest."

"We'll find food at the mountain," Ryuu promised. "I'll make sure we get some then."

"Okay…I guess," Robert mumbled. Then his attitude completely changed. "So what are we waiting for? Let's go, go, go!" He bounced up and down without moving his invisible feet.

I smiled at Ryuu, who was staring with a confused face. His eyes met mine briefly before refocusing on the Poyomon. "Come on, Warrior of Void," I said, beginning to walk along the tracks. He ran to catch up to me.

"Have you ever climbed a mountain before?" he asked, eyes shining.

"Once or twice, not a whole ton," I answered. The brightness didn't fade at all from his face; instead he began to smile. Part of me wanted to keep him smiling like that, to keep him happy. "You like mountains?"

"Love them," he corrected. "Haven't you ever thought about parasailing?"

Parasailing? I blinked back my surprise. Something about the thought of jumping off a mountain and relying on the wind to keep me from plummeting to the ground gave me the sense of impending doom. I suppose if I was a bit more daring…I guess it was never something I had ever considered.

"Not until you mentioned it," I told him. "Have you done it?"

"Quite a few times, it's not as good as flying though. Nothing in the world beats flying…I probably would be flying now if I could."

"Then why don't you Spirit Evolve?" It seemed sensible enough to me; it wasn't like I hadn't walked by myself before.

"It would be rude," his answer startled me. "Anyways, it's not like I won't have more chances to fly later."

_Oh, really? _The voice was amused. _When little birds become too cocky, they lose their feathers. They are rooted to the ground. _I flinched.

_I don't need your criticism._

Ryuu stopped dead in his tracks, and my heart jumped up in my throat. All I could hear was the laughing echoing in my head as the boy cocked his head slightly. Like he had heard something making a quiet noise nearby. He turned towards me with a troubled face. "Did you say something?"

"You must be going deaf," Robert answered flatly. "No one said anything last except you."

"I heard two voices," he insisted. "Perry was one of them."

"One?" the Poyomon squeaked, looking at me with a worried look. _This is not going to end very well._

"What's going on?" Ryuu demanded, getting more and more agitated by the second. He couldn't stand not knowing. _It's not like there are others around to pry questions. We're so alike, it seems. Could we really be connected by this voice, this Digimon who insists on being in my head? _

"Are you gonna tell him or am I going to have to?" Robert asked out of the corner of his mouth.

"It's fine, Robert," I took a deep breath and sighed before I started to walk again. "You know how Ophanimon called us on our phones to the train station?"

"Yeah," he spoke slowly, trying to absorb everything as quickly as possible. But seeming to fail at it as well. "She never told me her name."

"Before she even called me to the train station, a voice told me, in my head, that I was going to be called by Ophanimon. Like he knew everything that was going to happen before it happened."

"He was the reason I found you," Ryuu started getting excited and talking faster and faster till I had a hard time keeping up with him. "Ever since I got here I heard voices on the wind. I didn't know what they were or who they were, but after I got my Spirit I was able to track them. They would stop for hours, sometimes a day, before they started up again.

"When I finally managed to evade Saberdramon the last time, I reached the Wind Factory. The voices had stopped so I waited for about five minutes before you and the others came out. You looked so familiar; ever so similar to me…it took me by surprise. I had to know why I found you, why I was led straight to you.

"Then last night, when you kept tossing and turning, I heard the voice again. Your face tightened up, but you stopped moving. Like you were in pain. Sometimes when I heard the voices, I could tell that there was a distinction between the two. Most of the time it was only one…" he trailed off back into silence.

The only sound that followed was my shoes moving through the sand. Then Robert sighing in my ear.

"So we still have more questions than answers. This is to be expected, of course…"

"But it isn't helping anything either," I added. _He's right. It keeps getting more and more complicated. _

"Maybe the thief knows something about it," Ryuu suggested, taking out his D-Tector. "Either way, we're not catching up at this pace. Execute! Spirit Evolution!" His image changed as Aetherbaitomon took form. "Aetherbaitomon!"

He flared his wings and snorted through his nostrils. "Let's get going, Perry. Get on."

* * *

We reached the base of the mountain in several hours time, and the outlook for Ryuu wasn't getting much brighter. Either a) we would have to fly all the way to the top where some Karatsukinumemon built their village on the side of the mountain or b) climb from the bottom up. Both involved a whole lot of strenuous work for at least one of us, as Robert's prediction regarding the wind came true.

"So what's the plan?" I asked when Ryuu had landed and De-Spirit Evolved. He leaned his head back and looked up the mountain.

"Well…I guess it's up to Robert and you. I can go almost all day with these wind currents," he turned his head back towards me. "I'm not as flimsy as you think I am. I can go two straight days flying without stopping."

"When there are wind currents," I pointed out. "And we don't know how friendly those things are up there."

"Karatsukinumemon are generally lovers of the peace," Robert added. "Although it's not unknown for them to go to drastic measures to keep that peace, they shouldn't give us much trouble. Just remember not to throw around the whole 'Legendary Warrior' thing, it's best to keep stuff like that quiet. Secretive, if you know what I mean. Some Digimon don't really like the idea of it, you know?"

"I get it," Ryuu nodded. "Better to be safe than sorry."

"Right, I say fly till we get close to the village. Then we'll climb the rest of the way."

We all nodded in unison, and Ryuu pulled out his D-Tector. The screen was lit up with the machine emitting strange sounds. He stared at it for a moment before looking up at the mountain again.

"That's very strange," he murmured, pressing all the necessary buttons and Digivolving. "Execute! Spirit Evolution…Aetherbaitomon!" The humanoid bird howled, flaring his wings. He looked down at me expectantly.

"What is so strange about the D-Tector making a strange sound?" Robert inquired as I pulled mine out. Mine was doing the same exact thing.

"Something's up," I said, climbing onto Aetherbaitomon's back. "Let's get going."

"You said it," he flapped his wings and launched himself up further and further into the air.

We stopped where the tracks provided the ultimate mountain climbing experience, and Robert even joined in. Of course, he could stick to the side of the mountain without a problem.

"You got it?" Ryuu was human now, about four or five feet below me.

"I'm good," I had the rhythm down now. Foot, hand, foot, and then finally hand moved me two steps. I didn't know how many more of these I would have to do though. _I'm guessing a whole lot of 'em._

"Robert?" Ryuu added, just for good measure.

"I love mountains. Have I ever told you? Because I love rock formations, especially mountains, just like Ryuu," Robert chattered, happy to have found something brand new to talk about. "One time my dad and I went on a rock climbing spree; it was _awesome_! But then Dad said he couldn't go rock climbing anymore. He didn't stick to the rocks too good anymore; he kept falling on his head. Poyomon are extremely top heavy."

"So why are you sticking to the mountain then?" I questioned, gaining another four feet up the train tracks. It never occurred to me, but as I thought more and more, I seriously hoped some Trailmon didn't come chugging up the mountain and run us over.

"I didn't lose my stick," Robert answered smugly. "Dad ran out of stick in his old age." Ryuu snorted below me.

"Right, the day that _anyone _loses their stick is the day that _I_ get eaten by a giant lizard. How old was your dad anyway?"

"Two hundred and four years old," the Poyomon admitted. "He was here the time the last DigiDestined came. Not that they came two hundred years ago…just old enough to remember is all."

I froze and looked Robert square in the face. Two hundred four years old? Did Digimon really live that long? "So is he the oldest living Digimon?"

"Nah, some Digimon are made of the fabric of time. So they've been here for several thousands of years; time goes on and on and on. Most Digimon don't keep track of time, you know? Anyhoo, Dad's still living because he only drinks water, does yoga every morning, and goes for a two hour limit walk-and-fly every day. Rain or shine, he does it. He doesn't live in Fire Terminal anymore; I don't get to see him very often since he lives at the Ice Terminal, where they have the Autumn Fair Festival thingy."

"Maybe we'll get to visit him sometime," I offered. "I doubt that the Forest Terminal will be the last quest we take on." Ryuu didn't respond, and Robert brooded on that for a moment.

"Okay!" he smiled, his eyes shining. "Dad likes having visitors, even if he is going quite deaf and is wrinkled like a prune."

"How is that possible? A wrinkly Poyomon?" Ryuu muttered, and I chuckled to myself.

_I guess we'll have to wait and see, won't we? _

_

* * *

_

We reached the edge of the Karatsukinumemon village and found one of them watering a hanging plant on the side of his house. He turned towards us, startled by our appearance. I suppose he really hadn't expected us to be standing on his fence.

"Hello there," Robert greeted him. "Have you seen anyone with a DigiEgg, or any strange characters lately?"

The Snail Digimon consisted of two main parts: shell and body. The body was a pale green, colored like the newest blades of grass. Its eyes were attached by stalks to the head with a moustache above its upper lip. The shell was white with purple swirls and took up the bigger portion of the Digimon.

"Strange…characters?" he repeated, like the question bothered him. "There has been nothing but strange characters here lately. First it was Grumblemon, then that human who fell from the sky, then this strange Digimon carrying around a DigiEgg, and now there are you three!"

I blinked back my surprise. "You saw the DigiEgg?"

"Of course," he answered. "He was a Legendary Warrior, I'll bet, in league with Grumblemon. He was delivering the egg to Grumblemon, I bet. All Legendary Warriors are the same: all for Cherubimon, ready to tear you to pieces. I would stay as far away from them as possible." _Does this guy love to say 'I bet'? I'll bet so. _

"Sounds like a plan," Ryuu nodded, glancing at me out of the corner of his eye. "Just who is Grumblemon, exactly? We've never heard of him."

"_He _hasn't heard of him," I corrected. _I never thought that that counted as a vision. It hurt so much when I woke up…but I remember hearing about Grumblemon. I heard his voice…he was talking about Spirits, and this Mercurymon. I still don't know who he is. _"You said there was a human who fell from the sky?"

"Yeah, he's in the elder's house. Would you like to meet him?" the Snail offered. Ryuu cracked a smile.

"Sure, let's pay him a visit." _He must have a feeling that it's Koji._

_It doesn't take a genius to guess, _the voice hinted. I flinched, causing Ryuu to drop the smile.

"You alright?" he lightly touched my shoulder. I nodded, looking at the Snail Digimon.

"Is there any way for you to lower us a rope ladder or something? Only Robert can stick to walls like you, and we've been climbing for quite a while."

"No problem, all of us Karatsukinumemon have them. Just hold on," he disappeared into his house and went up the mountain a good sixty feet above us before dropping the ladder.

"Now that's what I'm talking about; race you to the top, Robert!" Ryuu scrambled up the ladder as Robert stared in shock at the thought of losing to this kid. He zoomed up the mountain at breakneck speed and spat dust up in my face. I started climbing too, and I didn't have to see when Robert won.

"Your form was totally off," the Poyomon criticized. "No one can out climb me anyways. It just doesn't work."

"You _ran_, you didn't climb," Ryuu argued. "You hardly even gave me a long enough head start."

"Uh huh," Robert looked down at me. "Hurry up, Perry!"

"I'm coming," I reached the house, and we all awkwardly climbed in through what I assumed was a window.

Inside the house, the floor was made of polished stone. Er…what should have been the floor was stone. The other walls were colored in whites and other light shades of color. Whoever had decorated, I gave them a thumbs up and apologized for having to stand on their walls.

"Sorry that we can't stick to walls," I told the Digimon. "I know it's really rude to walk on walls and all…"

"Don't mention it," he shook off my apology. "It's not like we get humans on our mountain very often, and it is nice to have a change of pace." Two more Karatsukinumemon entered the room, one of which who had the largest moustache I had seen so far.

"Who are they?" he asked.

"This is Perry, Ryuu, and I am Robert," the Poyomon said. "We came looking for a creature who stole a DigiEgg from a Digimon called Saberdramon. We also would like to know a little bit more about this 'Grumblemon' your friend told us about. He may have arranged a rendezvous point with the thief."

"I see; I am the elder of the Karatsukinumemon. I am glad to know that you humans are working to better other Digimon's lives," the Snail Digimon nodded. "Why don't you come and further explain in the other room? We have another human who probably would like to ask you some questions as well."

"Let's meet him," Ryuu said, putting his hands in his pockets.

We entered the other room and found Koji crouched over a map of some kind that was spread out over a small table. His expression was tight, and he looked like he hadn't slept in days.

"Koji," I said his name, and he jerked his head up. He stared at me for a moment, like I really shouldn't be there, before looking at Ryuu. "We're only going to be here for a day or two; then we're moving on."

"Why are you here?" he stood up, giving us both the death stare.

"We're chasing a lead," Ryuu answered. "Saberdramon has pursued me several times now; someone stole his DigiEgg. An Elecmon back at the village said that the thief went in this direction. He might be in league with this Grumblemon we keep hearing about." Koji's jaw tightened at the mention of Grumblemon.

"You've met Grumblemon?" Robert pressed.

"It's none of your business," Koji snapped. "Even if I had, I wouldn't tell you anything." Ryuu snickered, causing Koji to tighten up two more notches. "What's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing," Ryuu answered. "Name's Ryuu Morti, in case you were wondering."

"I wasn't," Koji answered flatly. "Leave me alone." He looked back down at the map.

"Come on," I tried to pull Ryuu away, but he was rooted to the spot.

"I know about your type," Ryuu told him, causing Koji to look up. "I used to be like you, when I was younger. If I had opened my eyes a little wider, I wouldn't have wasted those years thinking that my dad was coming back for me. That he would actually care if I ran into him on the street and introduced myself. But of course, I was wrong. I didn't even know what he looked like. So I changed. I had to be the father for my brother, Torao. At first it was hard to change, but over time it became easier and easier."

"I'm not you; I don't have any siblings," Koji looked down at the ground for a moment. "I don't need to change for anyone." He looked back up at Ryuu.

Ryuu took in a deep breath and sighed. He turned towards me. "Let's go." We took three steps before Koji cracked.

"Wait," he said, and I turned around. "You're leaving tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah," I answered. "We have to keep looking for the DigiEgg." Koji took in a deep breath.

"Stay, then," he said, sitting down on the ground again. Ryuu grinned at me and let it fade before he came back into the room.

"Alright," Ryuu turned towards the Karatsukinumemon who were in the other room. "Now, I think it's your turn."

* * *

That night I couldn't sleep. Robert was tucked into one of the beds on the wall, as he couldn't fall out of them. Ryuu and I both had a bed of leaves on the floor which weren't exactly as comfortable as they looked. Koji was asleep on the far side of the room with his back to us. We would search the mountain for the thief and avoid Grumblemon till Koji came up with a better plan to get rid of the threat.

"Can I ask you something?" Ryuu asked me, and I rolled my head towards him. He was on his back, hands tucked under his head. "I know it might sound sort of stupid, but what's your last name?"

I blinked back my surprise. _Could he have asked any more of a serious question? What will he say if I tell the truth? _I looked back up at the ceiling. _We can't prove that we're siblings. So I guess it's worth a shot telling him, as long as he doesn't wake up Koji. _"Erm…Morti." I closed my eyes automatically, but he didn't respond. So I opened my eyes and turned my head towards him.

Ryuu was staring up at the ceiling, looking extremely thoughtful. His eyes moved back in my direction before back up again. "I understand why you didn't tell me earlier. It's strange, isn't it? It made me wonder if we were connected in more ways that we thought…maybe…" he trailed off before frowning at whatever thought had occurred to him.

"What is it?" I pressed. He sighed and closed his eyes.

"I bet if you thought hard enough, you could gather what I'm gathering."

"That…you might be my half-brother?" The sound of it made no sense on my tongue, but for some reason…I believed it. "But how would that…?"

"My dad abandoned my mother, remember? Maybe…" he started shaking his head and rolled over. "I don't know. I just don't know."

I rolled my head back away from him and bit my lip. _Could it have something to do with why my parents divorced? That sort of event doesn't always happen with just one reason; usually there are many reasons. But there's always one factor that brings everyone back to earth. That main factor I know…it was my fault. I knew it was always my fault; if I hadn't lost sight of Ryan, they never would have started arguing. They never would have split apart…_

_Is that so? _The voice sounded bored, and his presence caused me to jump. I hadn't expected it; there had been no pain to warn me until he was there. As was the pain.

_It's always been that way, _I retorted. _You wouldn't expect it to be any different._

_Uh huh, _I could picture him examining his nails, or his claws. _It's always the same with humans, isn't it? It always is._

_Depends on what you mean by the same. Why do you care about humans, especially me? You know, Ryuu found me because of you._

_How intriguing, _he didn't sound at all impressed. Then his voice changed to a slightly amused one. _Something tells me that the little cocky bird won't be around for very long. At all. _He left, and I twitched with the uncomfortable feeling of pain in the back of my legs. To my right Ryuu shifted in his sleep.

The next morning I woke up with a Karatsukinumemon pushing on my foot. I sat up immediately and saw him smiling at me. It wasn't the most intimidating thing I'd ever woken up to, but it ranked pretty high up on my scale. "Good morning," he greeted me.

"Uh…morning," I answered groggily, looking for Ryuu or Koji. Robert was gone too, which was unusually strange. "Where did the others go?"

"I'm not sure; they should be back soon. There's breakfast waiting in the other room for you."

"Thank you," I felt myself starting to smile. It was so strange, being with such nice Digimon. No one back at the village had offered us any free food.

"No problem," he left out the front door, which was attached to the ceiling.

I headed for the other room and found a card table piled high with several colors of lettuce: typical green, pale white, potato brown, and a dark red. I internally shrugged off the weird feeling of eating cabbages and had eaten half of one before I had realized that it had tasted like steak. _Good _steak, stuff that came straight from the grill and hardly touched the super market. How did they grow it like that? Or…was it just another one of those weird Digital World secrets? Whatever it was, I liked it!

Koji, Ryuu, and Robert entered through the window, talking. Well…Robert was doing most of the talking. He stopped to smile at me though. "Good morning, Perry."

"Morning," I answered as he floated over to my shoulder. "Did you already eat?"

"I stuffed myself," he admitted. "That's why you don't see a whole lot of brown cabbages. We don't know when we're going to find food next, ya know."

"That's true," I looked over at the two boys. "So are you going to free those Karatsukinumemon by yourself or have us help?" Koji and the Karatsukinumemon had told us everything last night, everything about Grumblemon and him taking captive the women to get the mountain's Fractal Code.

"He's guarding the cave like a hawk," Ryuu answered, picking up one of the cabbages and tossing it up and down. "So it's on Koji to decide…when he answers my first question."

"I'm not answering that one," the black haired boy shook his head and readjusted his bandana. "No way."

"It's a guy thing," Robert informed me. "You wouldn't understand."

"Uh huh," I answered. "So what are we doing?"

"Your call," Koji offered. This sort of thing probably wouldn't happen often.

"Alright," I exchanged a look with Robert and smiled. Ryuu took a wary step back.

"You just made the biggest mistake, ever," Ryuu pushed Koji between me and him. I rolled my eyes.

"I want to climb to the top of this mountain if Grumblemon isn't going to cooperate right now. Some of us are going to take this opportunity as it comes."

"Some of us being who?" Koji asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Duh," Robert spoke up. "Who did you think was going with her? We just need help getting to the train tracks from here, obviously. Only one of you can fly."

"That would be Koji," Ryuu pushed him towards me. "I'm all booked up."

"For what?" Koji demanded, turning towards him. "Because I could throw you off this mountain and book your whole week up."

"I'd like to see you try," Ryuu snorted.

_Is it that they don't want to be with me, or are they trying to get rid of me? _I felt the once happy expression fade on my face. _It's almost like back home._

_I just got in the house from a run and was headed for my room when I heard the arguing. It had cut off slightly, but Dad still wanted to finish what he said. His growling voice cut through the air. I stuck my torso into the kitchen and was startled by their reaction._

"_Would you mind giving us a moment or two _alone_?" he snapped. I blinked back my surprise. _

"_I-I'm sorry," I started to retreat._

"_Daitaro!" Mom scolded. "Don't talk to her like that!" Her voice softened when she spoke to me. "Honey, why don't you do something in the other room?" By other room, she meant _my _room. But I could hear everything they said perfectly clear in that room too._

I was brought back to reality when Robert said my name. I blinked away the memory and glanced at him. He seemed worried, like he had detected my emotional change.

"Did you hear something?" Ryuu asked, and I knew he was only saying it in that way to keep the real meaning from Koji. It was quite obvious; I hadn't heard anything.

"No," I tilted my head just slightly to the side before righting my head. " Never mind about needing your help. I'll see you guys later." I got past them and spotted the tracks a good dozen feet away from the side of this house. Too far to jump…but there were some foot holds leading to it. Perfect.

I climbed out of the window, took the foot holds, and maneuvered up to the railroad tracks. Koji was hissing at Ryuu inside the house, something about irresponsibility.

"So how tall do you think this thing is?" Robert asked, hopping onto the mountain's surface.

"We'll find out, won't we?" I reminded him. Something under me made an 'ungh!' sound. Robert groaned, and I simply ignored the knowledge that I was being followed. "You told me about your dad; what about your mom?"

"Actually, I'm not quite as informed with my mom," Robert admitted. "Dad doesn't remember very well or like talking about it; she got scanned a long time ago by some psychotic Digimon. I remember having nightmares, but I haven't had them in ages. I don't even remember his name anymore, thankfully…Something 'mon'?"

"All Digimon names end in 'mon'," I reminded him.

"Oh yeah," he blinked. Then he grinned and looked down at whoever was following me. "Hey Koji, did you here that? I'm learning something new _every _day!"

"Good for you," he growled, straining. We were nearing the end of the village; it didn't go up very far.

_Climbing a mountain with pain on the brain isn't the smartest thing you could ever do, is it? _The voice mused, and pain rippled down my spine. I groaned out loud and scared Robert.

"What's going on up there?" Koji demanded, but I couldn't focus enough to answer.

_Bad timing on your part, not mine. Get out! _He didn't respond, simply chuckled.

"You have to keep moving," Robert insisted. I nodded and tried to push the agony out of my thoughts as much as possible. The feeling made it harder for me to climb.

When we were about fifty feet from reaching the top, I stopped to take a break on a ledge that looked over the whole base of the mountain. Koji came up too and sat down over standing. Robert floated up to my shoulder, whistling.

"That's a long ways down…" the Poyomon commented. He looked over at Koji. "Did you bring your tape measure?"

"No," Koji cast an annoyed look at him. "Do I look like a tool box to you?"

"Don't answer that," I warned Robert, who had sucked in a breath to explain. I looked down at Koji. "So why did you come with?"

"Someone had to come with you," he spoke without looking at me, voice rather flat. "You don't have any way to protect yourself if Grumblemon or anyone else comes after you."

"Aw, how sweet," Robert teased.

"I don't know about you two," Koji continued, ignoring the Poyomon. "But I don't entirely trust Ryuu either. He just…I don't know. There's something about him."

"That he looks like me?" I guessed. "We have the same last name too, if he didn't tell you. Besides, if you really hadn't trusted him, you wouldn't have gone off to talk to him."

"…I still needed to know a few things. However, there was one thing he didn't tell me." He stood up and looked at me straight in the face. "On the train you were acting really strange, like you kept getting electric shocks. Then before, you cried out in pain. What is that about? Ryuu wouldn't tell me anything." _Of course not. It would have probably been easier on me if Ryuu had just spilled his guts. I'm telling everyone everything today._

"It's hard to explain," I looked down the mountain.

"Why do you care?" Robert asked suddenly. "What does it matter to you what our problems are? If you never wanted to help us in the first place, why do you bother?"

"Because if she dies," Koji interrupted. "Then we have one less person to help save this place. We may not know how long we have to stay here either, and as much as I hate admitting it, I can't exactly do a whole lot by myself, now can I? Even if the others aren't up to my level, they still are Legendary Warriors."

I took in a deep breath and exhaled it. Too late to turn back now. "I knew before I got the message that I was supposed to go to the Digital World. There was a voice who told me, and it has been getting worse and worse. I don't know who it could be, and I have a really bad feeling that it's not going to be leaving any time soon. He inflicts pain when he comes and goes…sometimes when he's there and startles me it hurts worse. His attitude depends a lot on it too. Ryuu can hear him, most of the time…that's probably why he didn't feel right about telling you."

Koji didn't answer and brooded on the matter. Robert cleared his throat. "We can talk more once we reach the top."

"Fine," Koji responded and started to climb again. I waited for him to gain some headway before following. _I don't understand; he doesn't have any questions? _

He stopped moving suddenly, like he had just messed up where he should have put his foot next. "Stop moving; I've got to move back."

"There's a spot for your left foot about a foot below your foot," Robert instructed, and Koji obeyed his commands. "Then your right one is the same…not there, there."

Koji managed to scramble up the last ten feet with me following, but he didn't move far enough forward for me not to bang into his leg when I got up there. "Keep moving…" I stopped, because I knew what he was looking at.

On a small stone pillar in a veil made of a fine mix of black and white light, was a Spirit. It had a bird's head with the wings flaring out from its body. The armor was black and kept the Digimon's arms, legs, and torso protected. _He's so similar to Aetherbaitomon…why? Is that my Spirit? _

I pulled out my D-Tector with the screen already flashing white. "Spirit!" It flew into the D-Tector. The ground beneath it exploded as a giant war hammer attached to a twelve foot long stick swung back before forward. Giant hands held it in place; I couldn't see the wielder's face.

The data of the Spirit and my own data combined to be as one, and I felt the strength and the power in an instant. "Execute! Spirit Evolution…Kusoramon!" I flared my wings as the data retreated.

Without any time to spare, I jumped and caught part of the hammer's handle. The hammer had some decent weight to it. "Adamas Strike!" I felt ozone crackle around me as I gathered the energy. My own strength poured into readying this thing; and it took a half a second to realize this was really, really going to hurt the next morning. My right fist started to glow blue and white, and I threw it like a punch with my wings flaring out. The hammer handle snapped like a twig.

Before the enemy could retaliate (and before I realized what I was doing), I had picked up Koji and Robert. I jumped and let my wings spread wide open. Being on the back of a flying bird was _nothing _like me actually flying.

"That was so cool, Perry!" Robert chattered. "I never thought that I'd win that bet! Your Spirit is so beautiful!" Wait a second…I had totally forgotten about that small detail. I probably would have sworn out loud if I hadn't been so happy to have finally found my Spirit. _I guess I was wrong; I am a Legendary Warrior. The Warrior of Sky…I can feel the power rushing through my muscles. Sweet. _

I returned to the Elder Karatsukinumemon's house and De-Spirit Evolved there before proceeding to crash to the floor in exhaustion. It hadn't seemed so exhausting when I was a Digimon…maybe it was just the first time that was getting me. The others had gone through the same thing.

"Ryuu!" Koji called, trying to help me up. The other boy rushed into the room and pushed Koji out of the way.

"What happened?" he helped me up and automatically glared in my defense at Koji. I pushed his arms away to lean against the wall.

"My Spirit was up on the top of the mountain," I explained. "Grumblemon showed up, I'm assuming. We have to take him out tonight."

"You're positive it was him?"

"There was a spike on both ends of the hammer," Koji said. "It had to have been him. There's no two ways around it. When Perry is ready, we'll go."

" If you don't mind, I'm going to crash for an hour or two then," I said, going to the back room.

"Okay," both boys responded. Robert floated off my shoulder and went over to Ryuu.

I spent ten minutes stretching my muscles before I laid flat on my back on the bed of leaves nearest to the door, arms under my head. My thoughts were storming in my head and had me drowned in different theories and ideas. _We're going to have to search for the egg tomorrow, if not tonight after we beat Grumblemon._

_You sound quite cocky, _the voice noted. His presence had already been evident so I only twitched from the pain. _Do you really think he will be no challenge?_

_I don't know if he will or not. However, Aetherbaitomon and Lobomon are strong. If they don't tear each other's heads off, they could probably beat him by themselves. _

_Probably, _he repeated flatly. _You like that word, don't you?_

_Maybe. _He left, and I shifted uncomfortably. I pulled my D-Tector out of my pocket and was surprised to see Kusoramon's head on the screen. She had a mostly white head that was rounded like a bird's, her eyes golden and round. The face was human with the beak of the bird, a pink twig-like contraption, reaching out over her forehead. Her wings were large with the tips of the feathers rounded and dipped in black. Her torso wasn't as protected: just soft, white feathers. Her arms were muscled strongly, just like Aetherbaitomon's, with black armguards stretching from her wrist to elbow.

"Kusoramon?" I said, and she nodded once. I found myself smiling as the screen went blank. Putting my D-Tector in my pocket, I stretched one more time before closing my eyes.

* * *

When I woke up, the sky had darkened considerably with only the moon offering light. I sat up and found the others of the group that I had left at the Wind Factory, all passed out sleeping in the other beds of leaves. Ryuu wasn't in the room…and on my other side, on the floor, Koji was on the floor.

I stood up, restless, and paused next to Koji. We exchanged silent stares before I gestured to the leaves. "I'm not sleeping anymore." Then I left the room and pulled out my D-Tector. _Time to get in a little practice._

I examined the window sill before sticking my head out into the cool night air. A winding breeze was blowing up the mountain. A sound behind me made me turn slightly.

"What do you think you're doing?" Koji asked, arms folded across his chest.

"'None of your business'," I answered, causing him to scowl.

"You shouldn't be off on your own, especially at night. We're going to free the Karatsukinumemon tomorrow." I hesitated before asking.

"Where's Ryuu?" Koji didn't answer me but kept his eyes on my face. "I'm not some little kid; I can fend for myself."

"You're gonna get hurt," he growled, getting defensive. "Stay here."

"What's going on?" Takuya entered the room, rubbing his eyes. "You're going to wake up the others."

"Robert's with Ryuu, isn't he?" I guessed, panic setting into my thoughts. _If it's not for clearing my head, I have to make sure Robert's okay. _

"Yeah," Takuya answered, raising an eyebrow. "They're both fine. He just didn't want to stay in the house."

I took that second that Koji had turned towards Takuya with an angry, I'll-kill-you-if-you-keep-talking look, and I scrambled out of the window. More or less jumped, but I had my D-Tector. It wasn't a death sentence…at least I seriously hoped not. "Execute! Spirit Evolution…Kusoramon!"

I threw my wings out and banked as the wind hit me head on. It carried me further up the mountain, past the Karatsukinumemon's village to where I could see Aetherbaitomon. A dark shadow on the rocks, his laughter clear as a bell. How had I not heard it before, in the house? Robert was floating around him as Aetherbaitomon tried to maintain his position.

"Hey there," the black Digimon greeted me. "Did you know Robert can sing just like Enrique Iglesias?"

"He can sound like a whole ton of people," I informed him. "He's some sort of ventriloquist without any puppets."

"Mm…" his red eyes narrowed for a moment before widening again. _Was he feeling how I was feeling now? That strange connection between our Spirits? I can feel it now... _

"Perry's right," Robert grinned. "And now that the group is back together again, _she _can get to sing to some people."

"He told you about that?" I couldn't be entirely mad at the Poyomon…but it still bugged me. I didn't remember if I had even agreed to this arrangement.

"Should be interesting," Aetherbaitomon teased. I ignored him and asked a different question.

"So have you been out all night?"

"Pretty much," Robert admitted. "The house is a little crowded…and the Karatsukinumemon were starting to freak me out a little bit."

"What do you mean?" I asked, my muscles tightening in response to the nervousness. The ozone started to crackle around my arms.

"It's nothing too serious to be worried about…but JP told them that we were Legendary Warriors. They got really nervous and said that we should rest up for tomorrow instead of rescuing the women tonight. I think we've overstayed our welcome…but I can't be sure." _Is it really all that safe for the others back at the house? Should we move them or just stand guard? _

"Ease up," Aetherbaitomon reached over to touch me, and the static smell disappeared. I looked up at him. "I won't let anything bad happen to them, I promise you. Are you still tired?"

"A little bit," I admitted.

"Let's head back to the house then and crash. Race you to the house, Robert!" He folded in his wings and plummeted like towards the ground like a bullet.

I imitated him but pulled up much sooner, not passing the house like he did. Robert was waiting on the window sill. He tisked at me as I De-Spirit Evolved. "He's such a newbie; he'll never win."

We waited for Ryuu to get in the house before we examined the back room. Everyone was safe and asleep, even Koji. Ryuu patted me on the shoulder and retreated into the other room. I turned to watch him sit down on the ground in the corner and stretch out his legs. Robert floated off of my shoulder and made himself comfortable on Ryuu's shoulder. The only sound was the wind brushing the house.

I slowly moved to sit next to Ryuu who slid his right arm around my neck. Pressing my side into his, I watched as Robert's eye lids fluttered. Then I found a sad song wandering in my head that would make him drift into sleep.

" I can feel her breath as she's sleeping next to me…sharing pillows and cold feet. She can feel my heart; fell asleep to its beat, under blankets and warm sheets. If only I can be in that bed again, if only it were me instead of him…

"Does he watch your favorite movies? Does he hold you when you cry? Does he let you tell him all your favorite parts when you've seen it a million times? Does he sing to all your music while you dance to purple rain? Does he do all these things…like I used to?

"Fourteen months and seven days ago…oh, I know you know how we felt about that night. Just your skin against the window, while we took it slow. And we both know…it should've been me inside that car. It should've been me instead of him, in the dark.

"Does he watch your favorite movies? Does he hold you when you cry? Does he let you tell him all your favorite parts when you've seen it a million times? Does he sing to all your music while you dance to purple rain? Does he do all these things…like I used to?

"I know that love happens all the time, love. I'm a sucker for that feeling; you're on my mind, love. I always end up feeling cheated, and that happens all the time, love. Oh darling, I know I'm not needed.

"Will he love you like I loved you; will he tell you every day? Will he make you feel like you're invincible with every word he'll say? Can you promise me if this works right don't throw it all away? Can you do it all these things; will you do all these things…like we used to? Oh, like we used to. "

I looked up at Ryuu, who was fast asleep, before sighing and closing my own eyes as the song replayed in my head.

_Like we used to…_


	8. Chapter 7 Dreams With Darkness

Chapter 7. Dreams with Darkness

I wish I had woken up with the same fervent feeling that I had fallen asleep to. However, this wouldn't be the case. Why would I ever expect to have such good luck as to think that I wouldn't be in danger in this place? Instead, I woke up with the feeling that I should be falling. My eyes opened to find that I was tied up and dangling over the side of the mountain. _How queer…I don't think I have ever sleep walked before…_

The others were tied up next to me, the ropes attached to the outer fence of the village, with angry Karatsukinumemon wielding sharp scythes.

"What are you doing?" Koji demanded. Ryuu, tied on my right, simply kept staring up. I followed his gaze and just faintly saw a little white blob floating really high up on the mountain. I turned my head back to Ryuu as he mouthed, 'Robert.'

Brilliant. The only one of us who just so happened to not have any hands, was free. Or teeth. Or any sharp object that could cut us free. Neemon and Bokomon were tied up on my far right.

"We'll give you back to your partner in exchange for our women!" the elder Snail said, glaring at us.

"You dirty sneaks! Is this why you brought us here?" Takuya was ticked. I guess he wasn't ready to wake up yet either.

The Elder scoffed and shook his head angrily. "I think it is you who are the dirty sneaks! Pretending to be caring, helpful strangers, when you're really Legendary Warriors!"

"I told you that title was never going to help us," Ryuu said, struggling to get an arm free.

"I don't understand; what's wrong with that?" Zoe cried. I guess the others hadn't thought that through.

"The time for your games and lies is over," the Elder Snail Digimon said. "Soon you'll be back with your ally!" It struck me before the others.

"Oh…no," I couldn't believe the idea hadn't struck me before. I mean, it wasn't like Koji had ever gotten a clear look at Grumblemon. I hadn't either, which hadn't helped our dying case.

"Ally? What are you talking about?" Koji demanded, frustrated. Did he really overlook it all?

"Don't play dumb! We all know you're in league with Grumblemon!" Everyone (except Ryuu and I) made a gagging, shocked sound that came from the back of their throat. I was stiff as the voice curled up in my head like a snake.

Rocks exploded outward from the mountain, revealing a tunnel that led deep into the mountain. And I had a very good idea on who was in that tunnel. A deep, growling voice, the very same from my vision, growled from deep inside the cavern. "Now give me Fractal Code, or bad things be happen!"

"Oh, yeah? Says who?" Takuya barked.

"Grumblemon," I whispered in response. No one heard me.

"Say me," the Digimon countered. "And you say me too much, you know who I am. You call me Grumblemon!" He waddled out into the open, and the others gasped. Ryuu didn't say anything. Yet.

He was built like a dwarf but with elf ears; a clay-colored hat was strapped onto his head. He wore armor over his torso: the shoulders were blue with a large thorn on the end of each shoulder blade; the top of his chest plate was blue and rounded, with the middle silver. A white piece of metal attached to the silver with the symbol for Earth. Red pants fit over his over his frame and were torn at his ankles, the blue armor over his knees as well. His feet were covered with brown slippers, a giant blue knob on the end with a spike to top it off. On his arms were red tattoos of hammer heads crossed like an X, the end shaped like an old-fashioned key. The same tattoo was on his large nose, with shark tooth-like tattoos on both his cheeks. His arms were tight with muscles. A fang-like tooth stuck out of his mouth on both sides.

"Hey! Look at that symbol!" Zoe had noticed too. It closely resembled a cactus rooted into a flat surface.

"He's also a…Legendary Warrior?" Takuya stammered.

"Give me Fractal Code, or else," Grumblemon threatened. "You do not want to see what 'or else' is."

"I didn't realize that there were _bad _Legendary Warriors," Bokomon said, surprised at this new piece of information. The voice snickered in my head.

_You all have a lot of learning to do, don't you?_

Ryuu growled at the two of them but spoke to Grumblemon. "Hey ugly, why don't you go jump off a cliff and spare us from being tortured by your complexion?"

Grumblemon pivoted towards him and narrowed his eyes. "You nasty Warrior of Void? Arbormon said you were looking; Arbormon gone now. You gonna regret it, human…Why for human yoyos?" He turned back to the Karatsukinumemon.

"Grumblemon!" the elder snapped, scythes in hand. "If you want to save your allies, give us back our women now!"

"Those knives are a little close there," JP yelped, and the others looked up nervously. My body tightened up three more notches.

"That so," the Warrior of Earth chuckled and pointed at us. "Me no care what happen to weak human thing."

The Snail Digimon faltered, but they were still in their belief that we, the humans, were the enemy. They leaned in real close to cut the ropes. The others startled to struggle and shouted for the Snail Digimon to stop. I turned my head towards Ryuu, who in the confusion had freed one of his arms.

Grumblemon rubbed the tip of his nose with his finger and watched in slightly amusement. Brooding. The Elder of the Snails spoke up for the last time. "You mean you really don't care about them? But they're Legendary Warriors too!"

The Warrior of Earth stepped back in surprise. "Huh? These weaklings be Legendary Warriors? Me thinks somebody got their hands on some Spirits and took them when they shouldn't have! Now I to put my hands on you and take them right back!" He lifted his fists in the air. Then he reached to the earth and pulled out a replica of the hammer I'd seen on the mountain, swinging it back.

The others started to writhe like they had just gotten set on fire. The Snail Digimon stared in horror. "Wait! What's going on here? You mean you _aren't _allies?"

"That's what we've been trying to tell you!" Tommy cried.

Grumblemon swung his hammer, and I didn't move a muscle. Ryuu exploded into data and howled, "Execute! Spirit Evolution! Aetherbaitomon!" He leapt into the air and up towards the Karatsukinumemon. The hammer slammed on the mountain's wall, right where Koji would have been if he hadn't jumped up.

"Get going!" Aetherbaitomon pulled me up and slit my ropes as Koji Spirit Evolved, slamming into Grumblemon with his big feet and knocking both of them through the wall of one of the Karatsukinumemon houses. "Help Koji while I free the others!"

"Execute!" I slammed my D-Tector onto the palm of my hand before dragging it. "Spirit Evolution! Kusoramon!"

I leapt through the air and almost made it into the house before Grumblemon swung his hammer my way. Pressing my wings to my sides, I sunk in the air fast enough to dodge the hammerhead. Then, spreading my wings out again, I turned sharply and dove into the house feet first. My feet slammed into his chest plate, slamming him against the wall. Lobomon swung his Kendo and stabbed the enemy in the shoulder. Grumblemon snarled.

"You pay, nasty bird!" he knocked Lobomon away and grabbed me by one of my wings. The bones inside of it screamed as he bent it. I howled as the ozone around me started to burn like a wildfire.

"Adamas Strike!" I threw all the power I could at his face, slamming the particles into him. His body broke through the wall, but he grabbed Lobomon's scarf as he fell through a lower leveled house.

Lobomon fell with him and kicked Grumblemon in the head. Aetherbaitomon landed next to me; I could see that everyone else had Spirit Evolved.

Kazemon and Kumamon were heading towards Lobomon.

My eyes were drawn back to the other Legendary Warriors. It was my first time seeing them in their Digital forms, and in two seconds I had absorbed the information regarding their appearance. Kumamon was the smallest of us all, a white polar bear dressed in green boots, a green safety harness like those I had seen on construction workers (but they don't have bear heads on them, now do they?), and a green head band that also protected the sides of his head. Two metal shoulder plates protected him with his orange skis and boxy gun strapped to his back.

Kazemon had purple hair and dressed in a purple bikini with boots that came up to her calves, and a type of armor covering her arms to her elbows. A mask of armor covered only her eyes. Butterfly wings attached to her back to give her the appearance of a fairy, a creature that relied heavily on the strength of the wind. She wasn't built for defense…but I can't say that she would do no damage if I or someone else were to tick her off.

Coming towards me were Agunimon and Beetlemon. Beetlemon, I presumed, was JP's Spirit. He was a large blue and yellow beetle with a single horn protruding from his head. Blocky elbows and pointed knees and feet were even more so protected with armor. Heck, he was _all _armor. His chest was almost all yellow armor, three or four inches thick. His eyes were a sharp green with the only spot without as much armor the black line that stretched across his face.

"You good to fly?" Aetherbaitomon asked. "Robert is with Bokomon and Neemon; he's safe for now." It was almost like he had read my mind.

"Yeah, let's finish this," I leapt into the air with him flanking my side. The slide of metal against a sheath was music to my ears as Aetherbaitomon drew his blade.

Beetlemon busted through the roof of the Karatsukinumemon house, holding Grumblemon's hammer. He let go when he got through, and Agunimon landed next to Beetlemon. We soared right over their heads and threw everything we had at the Warrior of Earth's ugly face. Burning ozone filled my nostrils as I took in a deep breath.

"Adamas Strike!" I leapt to the side as Aetherbaitomon lashed his sword forward in the air.

"Tetrachromancy!" Darkness shot from the blade and went straight into Grumblemon's eyes. The darkness remained inside of him; he was blinded. Then a pure white light followed it, as the blade had been cleansed of its darkness. Grumblemon stepped back, holding a hand up to shield his eyes as the light burned every part of his eyes and his face.

Aetherbaitomon landed at my side behind Grumblemon. _Now _he was surrounded. Agunimon raised up his arm.

"Pyro Darts!" he shot the flaming attack, but Grumblemon easily parried with the hammer handle.

"Lightning Blitz!" Beetlemon plowed the attack into him, knocking him over my head. He didn't slam into the rock but made a tunnel within the mountain. Waiting.

"You want to start digging, or should I?" Beetlemon asked, turning towards Agunimon.

"Shut up and listen!" Aetherbaitomon hissed. "I can hear him moving through the rock."

"I can't," Agunimon remarked.

"Shut up!" I barked. A movement behind them startled me. Kazemon and Kumamon…were they going to free the captives? It hadn't crossed my mind until now. Lobomon leaped up next to Agunimon.

I swiveled my head ten degrees to the right and felt the ozone absorbing into me through my wings. Static sizzled as I charged power; Aetherbaitomon hefted his sword above his head and waited.

Agunimon grunted and continued to scan the rock. Beetlemon was stock still; I could hardly hear him even breathing. But I could hear them all; their connection with their Spirits was strong and alive.

"What's wrong now?" Lobomon demanded.

"I don't know where Grumblemon is," Agunimon hissed.

"You don't know?"

Grumblemon shot through the rock with his hammer in hand, and Agunimon jumped up to intercept him…just as I had planned on firing. Agony strained my wings as I fought to control the attack, and I felt my body about to snap in two.

"You trying to get shot?" Lobomon snarled, and Agunimon turned slightly. The hammer came down on him hard, and he fell back down the mountain. "You should have just let me handle it!"

"Go away now," Grumblemon mocked. I threw back my head and howled as the attack swallowed up the last of my thoughts.

"Luce Carentes…Light!" I threw it all at Grumblemon as my eyes were shrouded in black. I could anticipate his every move, I could see every possible move, and I knew that he sure wasn't going to expect this.

In front of me was a huge golden bird that was at least three times my size. It was made entirely of light with particles of sky giving it form. It had the head of a dove, mouth gaping, with its feet huge and guarded with three fiery talons. _Now that's what I'm talking about. _The bird launched itself forward and probably would have hit Grumblemon…if he hadn't dug another hole to go get Agunimon.

"You had him!" Aetherbaitomon snarled, angrily slamming his sword into the earth. Agunimon was about fifty yards away and clinging to a rope ladder as Grumblemon repeatedly tried to pound him into the mountain.

"Agunimon!" Beetlemon shouted, and Lobomon tried to get Grumblemon in range of his laser again.

"Get out of the way," he had all but lost his patience.

I sunk to my knees in exhaustion. _I don't know how much more of this I can take…I'm losing energy before I even hit him!_

"That's enough!" Beetlemon leaped into the air and retrieved Agunimon, setting him back up by us.

"Did you miss us?" Aetherbaitomon teased, swinging his sword in his hand. Agunimon scowled as Lobomon did. Another opportunity gone.

"Now where are you?" Lobomon snarled. I pivoted towards the rock as it shifted right above Lobomon.

"You want guess?" Grumblemon's torso shot out of the rock. Lobomon didn't have enough time to react, too startled. "Too late!" The hammer slammed into Lobomon and sent him flying down the mountain; it was becoming a flaw to our battle strategy...whatever that was turning out to be.

I started to tense myself to jump, but Aetherbaitomon put his hand on my shoulder. "He's fine," he said. When I had turned back, Lobomon was climbing up the rope ladder.

"Let's get to higher ground," Agunimon said. Thunder rumbled through sky…when had it gotten so dark? Oh, right. It had been dark before. Rain began to cascade down the mountain.

"Beetlemon, get Agunimon over to the ladder," I said, and he nodded in response.

The rain was cold, and flying in it wasn't much better. Every muscle in my body ached; they screamed at me to just curl up some place and sleep. But I couldn't sleep now with Grumblemon still here. _Can we really beat this guy? Were we really cocky as to think we could defeat him?_

"I have an idea guys," Beetlemon said suddenly, making me jump.

"What would that be?" Aetherbaitomon yawned. "We can't even see where he went; I can't hear anything with the rain."

"First we find him," Beetlemon said. "Then aim really high above his head. We'll knock him down with the falling rocks, just like an avalanche."

"Sounds good to me," I nodded. "Hey Shortstop! Where'd you go?"

"Grumblemon, where are you hiding?" Beetlemon shouted, moving a few yards to our left. Speak of the devil, Grumblemon popped out of the earth and swung his hammer much too short.

"Thunder Fist!" Beetlemon slammed the attack into the mountain and shook the earth resting above it. _Now I get it…_

"Tetrachromancy!" Aetherbaitomon fired the attack, but instead of entering the rock, it simply slammed into it. I didn't move, still as I could possibly be while getting ready to charge power just in case.

"Nice shot, dorkus," Grumblemon snickered before looking up as the rock tumbled down. He cried out as he fell down the mountain side.

"Good job, Beetlemon," Aetherbaitomon examined our work and looked down the mountain.

"Where are the captives?" Lobomon demanded. My head snapped up.

"There!" Kumamon, in Kazemon's arms, pointed to one of the large rock spirals that surrounded the mountain. The women were safe with the men.

"It sure must be nice to get back to your family…Hey! What's that?" Beetlemon turned back towards the mountain. _This can't be good…_ It was the mountain's Fractal Code, rotating in a spiral within the rock.

"That must be the mountain's Fractal Code," Kazemon said just before Grumblemon stuck his big head out from the rock. "Oh, no! Grumblemon!" She floated next to Beetlemon; Kumamon jumped onto the rope ladder.

I snarled and launched myself forward. "Oh no, you don't!" Aetherbaitomon flanked my side.

"Ooh," Grumblemon cackled. "Look like I find what I want anyway…heh, heh!" He jumped onto a small platform of rock and continued to chuckle. "Thank you, never find it without you. Now get rid you!" He pulled out a figurine…of a Spirit?

I stopped dead in my tracks, throwing my wings up to stop me. _Is that what I think it is? _

"Execute!" Grumblemon shouted. "Beast Spirit Evolution!" The data vanished and left a whole new Digimon in its place. "Gigasmon," he growled. _Robert was right, always right…but how can this be possible? _

His main color was tan with a sand colored torso and sand-colored markings on its arms and the cone-like horns on his back. The head was a pentagram with a giant bean-shaped nose on his head. His hands were huge and blocky; his elbows were hollowed out slightly, giving the impression of gloves. His chest armor stretched in a V all the way down to his legs. His legs were long but also stubby. Horns stuck out of his skin…a Rhinoceros Digimon? The others gasped in shock at the sight of him.

"Quagmire Twister!" he jumped up into the air and spun like a tornado right for us. I threw myself at Aetherbaitomon, knocking him out of the way as Gigasmon continued straight for the rope ladder.

"Grab onto me! Frozen Tundra!" Kumamon transformed into a spiky chunk of ice, which Agunimon and Lobomon clung to. The twister came back towards Beetlemon and knocked him skyward into the fence where Bokomon, Neemon, and Robert were. Kazemon and Beetlemon quickly dove to catch them while Robert stuck to the side of the mountain.

"Ooh, that was close," I heard Bokomon behind me, but I was too focused on Gigasmon, who had landed back on the rock platform.

"Attack him together!" Robert shouted at us, but no one could register his words.

"Execute," he rumbled. "Slide Evo-lution!" He turned back into Grumblemon. "That it? Is that the best you do with your Spirits? That pathetic. Even make pathetic look good; execute! Beast Spirit Evolution!" He reverted back to Gigasmon.

"What's going on?" Agunimon demanded.

"Rhino Boy has two evolutions," Bokomon gasped.

"Now I take Fractal Code in name of Cherubimon!" Gigasmon announced, turning towards the mountain.

"No!" I surged forward and, as quickly as I could, I released what energy I had left into an attack. I slammed my fist into him. "Adamas Strike!"

He didn't even flinch but simply glared down at me. Aetherbaitomon shouted my human name as Gigasmon's fist struck me in the gut. I crumpled at his feet and De-Spirit Evolved. _Too tired…_

Gigasmon snickered. "How pathetic." We all just watched as he sucked the Fractal Code in his mouth until nothing remained. "Fractal Code Digi-tize!"

The earth shook violently as the mountain disappeared. A giant vortex appeared at the base of the mountain, and it sucked the others in. Aetherbaitomon fought his way over to me, but Gigasmon simply struck him down.

"Good bye, birdie!" He watched as Ryuu, in human form, fell all the way down to the vortex as darkness made its way into my eyes.

* * *

When I woke up, I knew I should have been dreaming but simply wasn't. The landscape was all dark, but I could see everything perfectly because no one was there. But I could feel the air temperature: cool, smelling of underground caverns. The darkness around me was draped over my shoulders like a blanket. _Where am I? Was I sucked into the vortex, or is this one of Grumblemon's tricks?_

Ryuu. He had fallen down the mountain; would he be alright? I had been foolish to try and stop the inevitability of Grumblemon taking the Fractal Code and risk the others. He had sucked it all up and destroyed the Karatsukinumemon's home. We had failed. But we had to move on and defeat Grumblemon, didn't we? But first, I needed to escape this place. Then I would have to find the others; we could only defeat Grumblemon if we were together. We didn't stand a chance separated like this.

"Hello?" my voice echoed in the darkness. Was this a cave? I stood up and didn't bang my head on the ceiling… so good so far. "Is anyone here? Wait, Ophanimon and Kusoramon!"

I took out my D-Tector and repeated their names, but the screen remained dark. Sliding it back in my pocket, I turned in a complete circle. Nothing, no one; nobody was here. _Okay, now what?_

"What could this place be?" I reached out to touch what I thought was a wall…but my fingers slid right through it. Just darkness.

"Hello there," the voice came from behind me, sweet and innocent. Almost, sorta…cute? I pivoted around to find another human being. One I had never seen before.

I couldn't tell the coloring of his clothes, but he had a jacket similar to Takuya's with lighter colored jeans. No hat or bandana of any sort covered his head; his hair lay on his head like a lion's mane: regal and majestic. His face also offered shyness and a curiosity for my sudden appearance. He was about as tall me, maybe even a little bit taller. Dark eyes, clouded over from the darkness. His face…why did he look so similar to Koji?

"Who are you?" I asked, taking a step back when he took a step forward.

"I am Duskmon," he answered, gesturing to himself. "Grumblemon brought you to the other Legendary Warriors, and I brought you here." Okay, so it wasn't Koji.

"Where is here, exactly?" I looked up at the darkness above him before looking back into his eyes. He smiled at me.

"A place to think. Don't you think it's pleasant, Rin?" _How does he know my name?_ "Besides, I've always liked the dark. I'm not very good with other Digimon, or humans. It's best I stay where I am. I _am _the Legendary Warrior of Darkness, after all."

"Darkness?" I guess I'd never really thought about that concept. Saying the word gave me a really strange feeling, like I knew him somehow. I was connected to him like I was to Aetherbaitomon, but with a much, much stronger connection. How was it possible?

"Yeah," he offered his hand to me. "It's nice to finally meet the Warrior of Sky." I didn't take it, simply watched him pull his hand back into his pocket. He frowned and turned slightly to the side so I couldn't see his face. "I see how it is; you've learned not to trust everyone you meet. Which is good, but bad for me, it seems."

"How do you know my name?" I asked, not letting my guard down yet. He didn't respond at first. His eyes met mine, saddened with the darkness fading ever so slightly. He had bright blue eyes, a whole ocean, under all that darkness.

"I've had dreams about you. You, Ryuu Morti, and another human, the Warrior of Light, I have seen…however, there is something that disturbs me greatly about it. Why is the Spirit of Sky connected to the Spirit of Darkness? I feel it in you, in your presence…but I feel, myself, nothing. Absolutely nothing. Can you tell me why that is? There is old legend that tells of uniting the Darkness, Light, Void, and the Sky."

I blinked back my surprise. I wasn't connected to Koji at all, that I could think of. Not to his Human Spirit anyways. Ryuu…maybe it was because of our Spirits being so similar. No one could prove that he was related to me or not; I wasn't going to think about that matter at this point. However, whatever I was feeling with this kid, Duskmon, I had a feeling that it wasn't just some minor coincidence. Unless it was just hormones.

"I think my connection for Ryuu deals with our families; I'm not sure about it, but it just seems…right. I think. I don't feel any connection with Koji," I shrugged. "Maybe it just takes time."

"Koji?" he repeated suddenly, the shadows around his face fading before darkening again abruptly. "Koji is the Warrior of Light?"

"Yeah," I responded, looking down at my feet. A thought occurred to me. _Does Koji…? No. He was watching his own back looking out for me. He can't be connected to me, even if it is what this Duskmon says. Koji doesn't care for any other being, does he?_

My D-Tector made a crackling noise in my pocket, and I automatically reached for it. The light that was emitted from it caused the boy to back off, nervous. "W-What are you doing?"

Kusoramon appeared on the screen, her eyes staring right through me. I stared right back. When she closed her eyes, I did the same. Some sort of hypnosis had me bound in her focus, and every part of me slowed down. It was like my FM radio just got flipped to AM; it was a different effect. I was more connected with my Spirit than I had ever thought; I _was _Kusoramon. I just had a ton more learning to do.

"_Many years have passed since I died, since I was AncientCaelumon. Obviously I'm not capable of becoming her anymore…but there is something that you can do to access strength and defeat those who try to destroy the Digital World. Find your Beast Spirit, Rin Morti, but I do warn you. There is a reason that the Spirit was named as it is, and I had no part in it. You are lucky that the Spirit remained out of the enemy's hands as long as it did. Find it before he rethinks his plan. If you need more advice, call upon me. But I cannot tell you the whole story until you learn something for yourself. I apologize for the inconvenience, Rin. I truly wish to help you, to protect you to the best of my ability."_

The light faded, and the figure before me was no longer human. This should have freaked me out, because what was in front of me wasn't exactly what I was expecting.

He had five sets of eyes: the first set just like on a regular human, the second on his shoulders, the third set into his chest, the fourth set into his knees, and the fifth set upon the tops of his feet. His main body was black armor, thick plated around his shoulders, hands, knees, and his long feet. His hands were large, dragon skulls with their mouths gaping open. His under armor was red with the black armor covering it like a stretched out skeleton. Two black spurs stuck out from his feet, and his head had three large horns. Three red gems also were placed on the base of his horns. Overall, a Digimon that would make any human being with any common sense whatsoever run for their lives.

_Why do I still have the connection to this…Duskmon? Is it possible that there _is _a human somewhere in there still? I mean, I'm connected to Ryuu through his Human Spirit. But Duskmon was a human too, wasn't he?_

"Duskmon," I stared at him, rooted to the spot. He raised his hands to his sides; red, slightly curved swords grew out of his forearms that reached nearly five feet long. Then he pointed one of the swords at me.

"Let us see what the Warrior of Sky can do against the Warrior of Darkness," his voice had deepened and dripped with menace. Could I really fight him if he just might not know what he was doing? _Take the Spirit from him and he's powerless to hurt me. I can't just stand here and do nothing!_

"Execute!" I shouted, and my D-Tector smacked into my hand. "Spirit Evolution! Kusoramon!"

I flared my wings and took a step forward. Ozone sizzled around me, eating away at the darkness to let in a little bit of light. "We don't have to fight, Duskmon…"

He swung his sword so fast I hardly had time to duck. When it came back the second time, I caught one of the sword tips with my arm guard. The other stabbed me through my foot.

"Aaargh!" I howled. "Adamas Strike!" I pounded him in the chest until he removed his sword. I backed away and tripped over my feet, landing on my back with an 'ungh!' "Maybe we can work something out, say, starting by _not_ hacking my feet off?"

He raised his sword up to my neck and stomped on my chest. All the air whooshed out of my lungs as I tried to get away. _This is going to hurt in the morning… _"It was foolish for you to take a Spirit if you cannot utilize its full power," he said. "So I shall take it from you."

"Come on," I complained, half growling at the same time as I charged power. "I wasn't even trying before. Luce Carentes…Light!" I threw it with everything that I had, but the most it did was blow his hair back. A slight bruise had formed on his right cheek …nothing more. _Mega crap, this is it, isn't it? _

"Like I was saying," he continued, pressing one sword into my neck with the other crushing my wings on the right side of my body. "A complete waste. Tell me something: do you still feel the connection now, the feeling that is screaming away inside you to start begging for mercy? To beg for me to spare your life because you feel that we are somehow…_attached_?"

_Hey voice? _I thought, trembling. _I know this is going to sound stupid because I really do hate you with all my physical, spiritual, and emotional being, but I really, really could use some help right now. _Pain screamed through me, and I De-Spirit Evolved. The voice was brooding but evidently didn't like me using my Spirit. And the effect? I was in the most unimaginable pain, groaning as it got stronger and stronger.

Duskmon had changed his position, stepping off of me but keeping the swords at my neck. He watched without blinking any of his eyes (all of which were staring at me). I guess he was waiting for me to respond.

"Y-You r-really don't g-get it, d-do you?" I rumbled, vainly trying to reach my D-Tector that was on the ground a foot away from me. "D-Do you r-r-really think…?"

"Enough chatter," he said, raising his right arm's sword at a one hundred and eighty degree angle. That was right about when I felt my head to my feet get cold. Wet? What the heck did Darkness have to do with Water?

Duskmon vanished, and the darkness that had surrounded me exploded as the light poured in on my eyes.

Naturally flinching against the brightness, I took some time to listen before opening my eyes. There were two different voices: one female and male. The female talked like a Southerner from the United States with the male talking…I had no idea. He had an interesting accent. Austrian?

"She's coming to; you're not so bad, Ranamon, right?" My vision started to get better, and I was able to pick up a few more details.

First off, my arms were tied around my back, against a rock spiral. The room I was in was like a cavernous spiral with a high ceiling. The two voices I had heard belonged to two Digimon. Ranamon was the female, colored in two shades of blue. One of the most humanoid Digimon I had ever seen, her 'armor' was quite like a one piece swim suit. Human fingers, toes, and a rain drop looking 'armor' piece on top of her head.

The other was a stranger Digimon. He wasn't quite so humanoid; all of his limbs were attached via gears that were made out of wood. Heck, he was entirely made of wood and was colored in sandy tan and dark brown. His eyes glowed from a band of darkness that stretched around the top of his circular head. Per say, garbage can-like body? He was the one with the Austrian accent.

"I told y'all that she'd be awake in a pinch," Ranamon responded flatly, ignoring the other Digimon. "Isn't that right?" She reached over to pinch my cheek, and I gave her a silent death stare.

_Still think you need help? I'm not your little pet; I've got better things to do, _the voice criticized. The pain was still fresh in my mind, but I ignored it.

_What better things? _He left without answering, and I gritted my teeth to keep from saying anything. _Fine, be that way._

"Remind me again why Grumblemon brought this human here?" she turned her back to me.

"Bait," the other answered. His mouth didn't really open when he talked; it was circular with a teeth-colored covering. I think. "You lure the cats with the mouse, eh? Warrior of Sky, huh? Pity Grumblemon couldn't have snatched all the Spirits right away, no?"

"True…" Ranamon pivoted back towards me and rubbed her chin with her index finger. "But what fun is leaving it tied up like that? Not no one going to find her here."

Arbormon didn't answer and continued to watch me. "Mercurymon said to wait. Don't want to make him too grumpy, no? It's like that guy has a cat stuck between his mirrors or something, right?"

"What's he like, Mercurymon?" I interrupted. "I've heard his name before." Ranamon turned towards me with a surprised look on her face.

"Sugar, did Grumblemon say something to you bout Mercurymon?"

"I saw him in a dream once," visions counted as dreams, so it was only a half lie. Not like I'd spill the whole story to this Legendary Warrior. "So what does he look like?"

"You'll meet the Warrior of Steel soon enough, honey," Ranamon fanned her hand in front of her face, bored. "I've had enough babysitting." She strutted away behind a section of the pillars and started to talk to herself.

Arbormon sighed and went to the pillar across from me before sitting down. _Did this sloth really manage to steal Saberdramon's DigiEgg? He doesn't look all that strong…but Duskmon didn't look strong either. _

"Where's the DigiEgg?" I asked him, my voice getting stronger as I grew more and more daring.

"None of your business," he responded, putting his arms behind his large head.

"It'd be easier on you if you just handed it over now," I bluffed. There wasn't any way for him to hand it to me unless I managed to cut my bonds; I couldn't exactly reach my D-Tector to Spirit Evolve either. "And if you don't, the Warrior of Void is going to really like kicking your can half way across this world."

"Oh, really?" he yawned. "I'd like to see him find me when I'm here. Now look, I'm trying to get a nap."

"So you were the one who stole it?" I clarified.

"And if I did?" he challenged. "His little band of birdies are, how do I say…more bark than bite? Besides, if I did the job right, other than the Digimon in the egg, he's the last one in that little birdie band of his. The whole point of the job was to turn him over to Cherubimon, right, and make him want to serve Cherubimon to get this egg back. Mercurymon's got some plan made out about it."

"Then why are you doing all the work instead of letting him do the work for _his _plan?" I could waste a little time messing with him before attempting to free myself. I had to find the egg before I left too; this could be my last chance.

"Mercurymon's the closest to Cherubimon; Cherubimon is the one giving him most of the plans anyways, right? Anyways, it's not like I care if he does any of the work. I'm tough enough to do most all of it anyways; 'sides, my Beast Spirit is _way _capable of handling anything anyone's gonna dish out."

"So what's that about, these _Beast Spirits_?" I nudged a little harder.

"I ain't saying nothing more about that till Grumblemon gets back," he closed glowing eyes and didn't respond. I immediately began to start working my arms. _It would be better to search this place by myself than wait. I don't know what these guys are planning, and I have a very good feeling that it will end up with them knocking the Fractal Code out of me. If humans _have _Fractal Code._

I probably spent ten minutes moving my arms in any way I could think of: up, down, side to side, backwards, vertically, horizontally, and any other way I could think of that didn't have a name for it. But I was completely stuck. My hands were bound in such a way for me to not even be able to grip my D-Tector if I wanted to. Which ultimately sucked for me.

I examined my captor a little bit more closely as he dozed into a seemingly peaceful sleep. Scowling aloud, I slammed my back further into the pillar and let my arm muscles relax. _Running out of ideas here..._

_You're in a fix, _the voice noted, settling in my head like a parasitic worm. At first I twitched, but then I couldn't help grimacing and succumbing to the pain. There was nothing I could do to move away from the sensation racing up and down my shoulders, my upper back.

_Leave me alone. _I tried to shove him away with just the words, but they bounced off of him like I had just tackled a reinforced steel door with three feet of concrete sealed behind it. And it wasn't that the idea freaked me out (which it did, by the way), it was just that he was _so much stronger _than yesterday. Not a whole lot stronger, but just enough for it to unnerve me.

_You're not much fun, _he complained, his voice whiny like a little kid. Then his voice became stern. _I would get used to it if I were. Soon we won't have to take breaks for me to channel more data to do this; you can be mine._

_You're psychotic. Has anyone ever told you that? _He chuckled once before responding.

_Those who don't see my way are eliminated. Simple as that. _The idea of it made me want to shudder, but my body was frozen. I couldn't move from the pain coursing through me. Every ounce of my strength was pouring into me to force myself not to cry out. I had to be strong. But I needed help.

By myself I was just one being. Was I really just one being? Or…was my Spirit connected enough for me to break through this bond? Could the Spirit of Sky help me to defeat this Digimon? Or…did we need the help of the Light, Darkness, and Void to defeat this thing?

Ryuu and Koji weren't exactly friendly with one another, and the Warrior of Darkness's elevator didn't reach the top floor when it came to dealing with the 'good' Legendary Warriors. I didn't want to die, I didn't want to be trapped here, and I needed to survive this. Yet I needed help to do it…and the only person I could think of was Ryuu, who had fallen down the mountain.

"Ryuu," I spoke his name, and it brought a sense of cool comfort over me despite my agony. "I'm probably just talking to myself right now…stuck here because I made another stupid mistake. If I know you, even though we just met, you are probably wondering how I managed to screw up this badly." Now this next name would take some real focusing to do any good.

"Koji?" It sounded like a question in my tense voice. Every fiber in my being was telling me that this boy hated me, hated me for getting him involved with the others, but also knew very well that we had to be connected in some way. He felt it more than I did. "I…"

_Why are you talking to those who are not there? _The voice asked, curious and stealing away all of my concentration in the time it took me to blink. _If it help you seek, why not ask one who could give you power without limit? All I need is your attention for a few moments._

_Forget it. There's no way I'd ever do anything you wanted me to do._

_On the contrary, I seriously doubt your chances. _He left, and I tightened as the pain increased and slowly began to fade. How had he gotten so strong? I had never felt him this strong before…unless I was just getting weaker.

"_Nitro _Arrow!" a booming, authoritative voice rebounded through the walls of the cavernous place. Somewhere behind me rock exploded into a thousand pieces and shook the ground with the impact.

Arbormon jumped to his feet and glared into the dust that was behind me. "Hey! What's the big idea?"

"_Where _is it?" the voice rumbled as Ranamon ran up to Arbormon's side.

"What's going on…?" she trailed off as she stared up at whatever Digimon that was definitely glaring back at her. "Sugar, you best be leaving before you get hurt."

"It is you who will end up being hurt; now _where is it_?" his voice was deep, dripping with power and threats. He almost sounded as though he could be…Saberdramon?

"Saberdramon!" I shouted his name and tried to spit out the words as Ranamon's head snapped in my direction. "Arbormon has it; it has to be here!"

"I've had quite enough out of you, sugar," Ranamon glared at me before bending her arm back and whipping it forward. "Drainin' Rain!"

The attack sent a dark cloud over my head and just drenched me with water. I could hardly breathe from the way it pounded every bit of me and left me aching, totally drained of power. My body trembled with the cold; I felt like someone had just run me over with their car. I didn't even have the strength to hold up my head.

"Yes!" Saberdramon seethed, exploding outwards from the shadows and knocking Ranamon into one of the pillars. He was just as Robert had described: black as onyx with the same build as Birdramon. Only a whole lot more terrifying in person. "Where is it, _Arbormon_?"

"I ain't talking," the Warrior of Wood took off running with Ranamon following close behind and disappeared into the dust.

"Meteor Wing!" Saberdramon flapped his huge wings and sent black fire after the Warrior. But he couldn't follow through the small tunnel carved into the rock. "Aaargh!" He turned swiftly and let his right wing slam through the pillar of rock. He bowed his head for a moment with his eyes closed before remembering me.

"Who are you?" he demanded of me, turning slightly.

"Perry Morti, the Legendary Warrior of Sky," I told him the full title and internally hoped that he wouldn't kill me. Even though I hadn't really planned on using the title, it sort of…slipped out.

He tucked his wings into his sides and stared at me with his dark eyes before narrowing them. "I know of no warrior with that name…unless you mean Rin Morti."

"That's my true name, yeah," I put all the effort I could into keeping my head up. "I just…"

"I understand," he said before I could even begin to explain. "However, I think you will find it useless to act in such a manner. Tell me where my Egg is."

"I…"

"You do understand how valuable it is to me, how if it is destroyed, my line will be destroyed?" he leaned in closer until I started to get uncomfortably warm.

"All I know is that Arbormon knows where it is," I started to trip over my words to get them out as fast as I could. "If I knew where it was, I would give it to you. Ryuu, Robert, and I went looking but we couldn't catch Arbormon before he got to the mountain."

His eyes searched mine for another long minute before he leaned back away from me. Despite my thoughts only dwelling on the soul fact that he had all the right to kill me if he wanted to, part of me wondered how he knew of me, how he had known about the Legendary Warriors, and how he could have possibly known that this was where the bad ones had been hiding.

"Let me make a deal with you, Morti," he growled, the threat bubbling over in his voice again. His razor-sharp teeth got real close to my head. "If you retrieve the egg before I do, and you deliver it to me, I'll give you a little gift. But if you fail to deliver it to me, if something happens to it…then _no one _will ever remember the Warrior of Sky after I'm done with you."

"Sounds good," my voice sounded quite calm despite my terror. _Find the Egg so I don't get charbroiled; don't get my Spirit taken by an evil Legendary Warrior, and find my Beast Spirit if they do exist. _

He leaned back, pleased with his work, and in one motion sliced through my bonds with one of his talons.

I crashed the rest of the way to the rocky ground; the darkness once again taking hold of me, and my entire being seriously hoping that Duskmon would give me a head start before trying to kill me again. I would need all the help I could get before I faced that guy again.


	9. Chapter 8 Save Me from Myself

HUGE apology to those who were waiting for me to update; had a seemingly un-ending busy schedule. So I used a bit of my Thanksgiving break to finally finish what I had been unable to complete. Thank you for being patient; please R&R!

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Chapter 8. Save Me from Myself

When I woke up, I could hear two distinct voices. One of them was unquestionably Minamoto's. Maybe then I wasn't anywhere near an evil Legendary Warrior…or so I hoped. When my muscles were capable of recovering, I forced my eyes open.

Koji was kneeling next to me with some large oak trees towering over him covering the blue sky. Takuya was standing by my feet with a stubborn look on his face with the others close by; he must've been the second voice I had heard. But Ryuu wasn't there…

"Wakey, wakey!" Neemon abruptly jumped on my stomach and knocked the air out of me.

"I'm awake!" I choked, rolling over. He jumped away from me as my mind started to race. _Where is Ryuu? Even if he did know how to find me before, I can't find him. What if something happened to him when he fell?_

I threw myself onto my feet and took a few steps away from Koji, gripping the sides of my head. How could I have let this happen? The consequences of my actions were finally starting to weigh down on me.

"Are you alright?" Zoe asked me. "You're acting sort of strange."

"You smell like charcoal," JP added. At that I turned around. Was Robert…? There was no sight of him either.

"Where is Robert?" I asked them. The others blanched when Koji responded.

"He took off." All of my muscles tightened simultaneously. If I hadn't already been a little high on pain and agony from Duskmon and the other Legendary Warriors, I probably wouldn't have gotten angry. I would have recognized that Robert was perfectly capable of taking care of himself.

Yet I also fully realized that Saberdramon, Duskmon, Arbormon, Grumblemon, and the other evil Legendary Warriors were out and about. That they didn't care who or what they scanned, and that they would definitely like taking a chunk or two out of a Poyomon with an attitude.

"You let him do _what_?" I growled, and my tone made him narrow his eyes. I didn't care what connection we had if he ended up being the reason Robert got hurt.

"He wanted to go looking for you; as far as I'm concerned, it was one less baby to take care of."

_You know what you want; _his voice didn't hurt me, my anger blocking most of it. _You know what you want to do. _I forced myself to take a breath. I turned my back to him, internally cursing myself.

_What I want isn't what you want, _I responded simply. And to Koji, I had an entirely different thought. _Forget it, Light Boy…_

The voice in my head brought up a picture that made me cringe, a thought that petrified me. _"I feel it in you, in your presence…but I feel, myself, nothing. Absolutely nothing. Can you tell me why that is? There is old legend that tells of uniting the Darkness, Light, Void, and the Sky." _How could he perfectly imitate that boy, that Duskmon?

_What have you done to him? _

_I gave him what he wanted, _he answered. _I can give you the same thing. _

"The Forest Kingdom begins beyond the track that is in front of us," Bokomon said, interrupting us. "We should keep moving."

"Then how much farther do we have to walk to reach the Forest Terminal?" JP asked, his voice tired and wearied. Their speech slowly started to calm my rage.

"Don't worry, we should only have to walk a little bit more," he responded.

JP groaned. "A little bit more? All these little bits are killing me."

I tried to keep my mind positive with this thought: JP would get along with Arbormon…if Arbormon didn't want to kill us and eat our data. _Wow, I'm either getting really schizophrenic with this thing in my head, or Duskmon really had an effect on me. Just thinking about it makes me hurts._

"So what are we supposed to do about Robert?" Tommy asked.

"He'll catch up," I responded with finality before knocking Koji over. I let the gravity pull me down the hill and towards the tracks as Koji snarled a threat out of his throat.

"You're dead meat, Morti!"

"Catch me first," I challenged, but that was a mistake. He was gaining on me pretty darn fast. The others had started running too.

I darted down a row of young saplings before ducking down another row of deciduous trees. Every step poured adrenaline down my veins; I loved every bit of it. Every second was like a minute, every minute an hour…Sometimes I would slow my pace as the hours actually started to go by and sink into the evening sky. It didn't matter to me if Koji did catch up to me; all my anxiety was gone. No thought of Duskmon or any other evil Legendary Warrior haunted my head, not even worries regarding Robert or Saberdramon. Simply amazing.

The picturesque feeling ended quite abruptly, and it happened in an event that I had not anticipated: I tripped at the top of a dinky hill, falling in a heap at the bottom of it.

Koji slid to a stop using his shoes and cast me his usual death stare. I stared back, daring him to move first. He sighed abruptly before offering me a hand. He _did _look like Duskmon, just a ton more forceful. I gave him my hand, and he pulled me up.

"So what happened to you after Gigasmon took the mountain's Fractal Code?" Koji asked. I didn't respond. _Would it really be worth it? He would probably scare the others if he ended up telling them about the other Legendary Warriors…maybe it is best, for now, to keep this to myself. _

"Nothing," I lied. He raised one of his quizzical eyebrows. This was gonna be a lot harder than I thought. "Besides, it shouldn't matter to you." He didn't question me further as the others made it to the base of the hill.

"What's up?" Takuya asked, panting.

"Nothing," Koji responded.

"Then why did you stop?"

"Man, isn't it time for a dinner break? I'm wasting away here," JP's voice carried from on top of the hill.

"We didn't even get any breakfast yet," Tommy added.

"I guess we'd better stop here and make camp," Takuya wiped his hand across his forehead.

"It's been a long day for all of us," Zoe agreed.

"Yeah, whatever," Koji got in the last word.

"Does this mean I get to eat and lay down? And eat? Yes!" JP exclaimed, dropping his shoulders in relief.

Something different in the air alerted me, but I didn't see or hear anything. It was kind of like being watched, the feeling I always had when I went for a run in the Human World. I ignored the feeling…for now.

"I'll scout out the woods," I offered, and the others acknowledged my request by looking up at me.

"What do you mean 'scout'?" Takuya put his hands on his hips. "You _can _relax for once in your life."

"You can come if you want," I felt a smile tugging at the corners of my mouth. "But I prefer heading out now; I'll meet up with you guys in an hour."

I went until the forest had swallowed up all the sounds of life; the light was starting to fade from the sky. Taking off my shoes and socks, I sat down on the ground. A quiet breeze floated through the trees. Somewhere nearby a stick snapped and caught my attention. But quickly my eyes found the D-Tector in my palm.

"I'm being paranoid," I decided aloud. Then I looked back down at my D-Tector again. Kusoramon appeared on the screen.

_We're going to have to set our priorities now; we've only got so much time before Saberdramon is going to lose his patience. And that Duskmon… _I shuddered away the picture forming in my mind. _So now we have to find the Beast Spirit. I wonder what she will be like. _

The D-Tector's screen faded; I slowly worked to pull my shoes back on. A crunching of dirt made me turn my head slightly to find Koji. His hands were in his pockets while he kept a very safe distance away from me.

"What are you doing?" his voice was flat, the irritation in his voice clear.

"They sent you to find me?" I guessed. He didn't respond; his eyebrows knitted closer together.

I stood and put away my D-Tector just as the brush behind Koji stirred. My muscles tightened as he turned around; a shapeless form materialized behind him…

"Robert!" my eyes popped open.

"There's something really weird about this…"

"Do you _mind_?" Koji growled. "We were in the middle of something."

Robert leaned way back so that his head was touching the ground. "Have you ever noticed that you're like, really, really tall?" He grinned at me. "They were poking; so I decided to take a short-cut. And here we are!"

"What were we in the middle of?" I added. "We weren't having a conversation." He cast me another glare; I was crossing some invisible forbidden line.

"I'll meet you two back at the camp," Robert vanished in the blink of an eye with a cloud of dust behind him.

I raised my eyes back up to Koji's before breaking the silence. "What is it?"

"So did you find what you were looking for?" the question almost irritated me.

"I wasn't looking for anything," I started walking in the direction Robert had gone.

"If not, then what happened to you?" his tone altered ever so faintly. Was he concerned? Was it really important for me to tell them all the details, or could I let it slip this once? Surely I would have time later to explain.

"Like I said before, nothing happened," I insisted. In spite of him not believing me, he dropped the subject. He didn't say a single word the rest of the time we went back to camp.

As much as I wanted to spill my guts, I knew it wasn't going to be worth it. He would want in on the action; people and Digimon could get hurt if they intervened. I couldn't risk that, and I wouldn't let myself be the reason he got hurt. Just thinking about it pained me. _Would I risk losing both Ryuu and Koji in the same sitting? We were all connected somehow whether we liked it or not. _

_They will act without your choosing, _the voice hinted. _You aren't strong enough for them to even consider listening to you. But if you asked for aid…_

_I don't need your help, _I gritted my teeth.

_On the contrary, you should consider. In exchange for a bit of your time, I could have you the strongest being in the entire Digital World, or the Human World if you prefer. _

_Stay away from me; I don't want what you have to offer, _I flinched at a spark of pain and bumped into Koji.

"Sorry," I mumbled, swiftly putting space between us again. With my peripheral vision I saw his head turn towards me.

"You're acting really weird," he decided. The statement cracked me up: he was speaking the truth. I hadn't felt right since…well, since the voice had started to bother me. Could he sense the disturbance I was feeling?

"More than usual," I admitted. Then sadness washed over me. "And look, I'm sorry about the mountain thing. I…I don't think it's best for me to talk about that yet. Not now. Can you give me that time?"

His blue eyes blinked twice. "Yeah," he answered.

"Thanks," I stepped into the clearing where the group had made camp.

"Meat apples are done!" Neemon announced, holding a cooked apple on a sharpened stick. Heck, everyone had a stick and was eating already.

"We've decided," Bokomon informed me, "that we must find these Beast Spirits as soon as possible. It may be the only way to defeat Grumblemon!"

Tommy handed me my own meat apple, and I re-focused on Bokomon. "That sounds about right…but what about Ryuu?"

"I have a feeling he will catch up soon," Takuya assured me. "He was fine before he found you; I'm sure he'll be fine on his own. Besides, he has his Human Spirit."

I cast my eyes down at the fire. Darkness fell upon us as a large cloud covered the moons, and several lights glowed from within the bark of the trees…like screens.

"Something's happening," Tommy said, and my eyes met Koji's. If this was a threat, it wouldn't go down without a fight. But then the boy spoke again, "A TV?"

We all stood up and went in amongst the trees. Every tree had a different picture: one of an airplane taking off, a mountain, a tall tower, and a flower garden.

"That is pretty sweet," Koji commented.

"Wait a minute, those scenes are from back home," Zoe noticed. She was right; there was no way these places could be from within the Digital World.

"That's right, Zoe," Bokomon took out his book. "It is called the TV Forest, the visual gateway to the Human World."

One of the scenes took my breath away, and the voices of the others were drowned out by my memory.

The screen showed a picture of Ryan at the beach back in Canada, standing on the shore with his back to me. The sun was sinking below the trees on his right; a breeze was rustling the trees…But there was something horribly wrong with that picture. In front of him on the street were two paramedics putting a stretcher in the back of an ambulance. Who could the…?

"No," I whispered. He was watching himself, watching and wondering why he had died, why _I hadn't protected him_. He turned towards me with his eyes flooding over with tears. Mom and Dad appeared behind him, disapproving me with their faces, their expressions, and every fiber of their being.

Without warning, the image faded. The cloud had come away from the moons…leaving the screen's picture burned into my mind. A tear escaped from my eye; the agony was still there, living and real. I hadn't changed anything.

A sound, the sound of crying, turned me back towards the others. It was Tommy. Tears soaked the sides of his face as he pressed his hands against a tree. The others hung back nervously, like the ordeal upset them.

"Hey," I found my voice without breaking. Even though I had no idea of what he saw, I could image it. "It'll be okay; we'll be back before you know it."

He turned slightly towards me, trembling. His eyes closed for the longest time before reopening; some part of him knew my words were true.

We all returned to the fire and sat around it; Tommy settled by Takuya, hugging his legs to his chest. Everyone was down. Whatever Tommy had seen must've been awful, but had it been similar to what I had seen? Quickly I learned the opposite.

"I bet my mom is really worried about me," Zoe said as she looked into the fire. My eyes slid automatically to Koji who was leaning against one of the trees a ways away from us. _Typical._

"Cheer up little buddy; try my apple," Takuya offered him a meat apple. "It's hot dog."

"Tommy could be your little brother," Zoe noted. JP didn't make a sound from behind her, but internally, I shuddered. _Better him than me right now._

A whirring sound alerted me, and Takuya made a sound in the back of his throat. I stayed still for a moment.

"Hey Koji, you falling asleep?"

"Sleep?" Light Boy snorted. "I'm lucky I'm not bored to death."

"Someone missed his stop on the Happy Train," Robert floated up to my shoulder. "I, on the other hand, am wide awake."

"Hey bud, what's your problem?" JP cast a glare in Koji's direction. "I think he needs a nap."

"He's just grumpy. Hey JP," Zoe stood up and put her arms behind her back. "Maybe Tommy would like to see some of your magic."

"Magic?" Takuya raised an eyebrow.

"I have to see this," Robert said. "Maybe I can add my own expertise to this amateur act."

"What expertise?" Tommy asked. Robert spun around and moved his Poyomon eyebrows like a wave.

"See, the wind hits this side of me, and it travels to this side in the theory called…"

"Eh-hem!" Takuya cleared his throat. "Go ahead, JP."

"Ladies and germs, I present to you the magic of Howie-Do-Dat!" JP stood up and moved next to me. I got up, leaving Robert by the fire to go by Koji.

"Go away," Koji said the moment I had reached him. Behind me I could hear Takuya clear as day.

"Yeah! Put 'em back!"

"That's not even the real trick," JP protested.

"I have a question for you," I sat down next to his tree and faced the darkness etched in the air. "You don't have to answer it…but I'm curious." He didn't respond. "You know as well as I do that we secure the Beast Spirits, but it's going to take us too long to start looking if we all go at once. I think it would be easier on all of us if you went looking separate from us."

"Which means what about you?" he continued to watch the others with an expressionless face.

As much as I knew my Beast Spirit mattered, nothing would matter if I could not recover Saberdramon's egg. If I secured the egg and found Ryuu, and told him about the Beast Spirits, maybe then we could search for them. We could meet up with the others…if I found him.

"I have bigger problems than worrying about my Beast Spirit right now." He turned his head towards me. "I'm not even sure I want it; they're supposed to be very different than the Human Spirits."

"Harder to control," he suggested. "More power; we didn't even put a dent in Gigasmon."

"So can I count you to take out Gigasmon while I…" I stopped talking; I didn't even know what I was going to do.

"Yeah," Koji finished curtly. "I'll take him out."

"Thanks…and if you don't, I'll be back to finish him myself." Light Boy snickered but didn't verbally respond. So that was out of the way.

* * *

I lay awake in the grass, arms tucked under my head while on my right JP griped to Takuya. The night air was still warm under the trees; the stars faintly shone with the three moons.

"This stinks; I made my spectacular performance, and I still have to watch the stupid fire," JP grumbled. He was hunched over watching the fading embers.

"Stop complaining," Takuya retorted. "We drew sticks; you lost fare and square."

"I'm just wiped out from all the walking," JP sighed in discontent. "I think I need to pass out for a while." The most intelligent thing I had heard all week from Takuya came at this moment.

"Hey, JP...I was wondering, are you an only child?"

"How could you have known that?" JP was only a tiny bit defensive. Takuya chuckled. "It's kinda obvious."

"So? Big deal, what about it?"

"I-I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I just miss my little brother, same age as Tommy. It was my little brother's birthday the day we came to the Digital World—aw, I missed out on all the cake and ice cream!" the statement turned into a pout.

"Afraid it's a little late for that, bud," JP said, amused now.

"No big whoop." The air hissed above us, and I sat up. Takuya's head turned my way.

"Did you see a ghost?" JP asked.

"I saw something, but I'm not sure what it was. It feels like we're being watched."

"We are," I jumped to my feet, D-Tector in hand. On the other side of camp Tommy began to make strange sounds.

_It's trying to mess with our heads, maybe even our dreams like Duskmon seemed to do in mine, _I realized. "Execute! Spirit Evolution…Kusoramon!"

A brilliant white light emitted from my wings waking the others…but Tommy just kept stirring. There, fifty meters on my left was the movement of a shadow.

"Hey!" Takuya protested as I ascended the closest tree. "Don't do anything reckless!"

"Watch Tommy!" I barked as a comeback. The shadow vanished as I switched trees.

As fast as I switched trees, jumping and landing often quite violently on some of the thinner branches, the vapor seemed to vanish and re-appear. My eyes couldn't make out what it was. Within thirty seconds of pursuit I had lost it. The whole forest about me went dead silent; my ears throbbed in tune with my heart beats.

"Where…?" I panted, spreading my wings and leaping up into the next tree.

"Nightmare Syndrome!" the hiss came from _behind _me. I whirled around with my wings drawn out from my body, striking the vapor up the side of its head.

The damage was done.

I fell out of the tree while my eyes saw a new picture, transforming my pain into agony. Ryuu stood before me backing away from Takuya and the others. Even…Robert? The landscape was still of the forest, simply foggy and obscured. It didn't look familiar...was it the place Duskmon had brought me, placed now in light?

"_Help me," _Ryuu cried. My limbs froze in place; what was this treason? _"Please!"_

"S-Stop," I stammered. "Why…?" Then the others turned on me.

Their faces were distorted into the most evil manner; the beings that would never have terrified me on the spot had now become like ogres, fire-breathing chimaeras who were eager to terrorize me. Even now in my Human Spirit form I quaked. But why would they want to harm me?

"Stop it," I warned again. The form that had to have been Koji stepped out to the side, and with a flash transformed into a ravenous Lobomon who drew his kendo.

"Stand and fight," he bayed, swinging it at me. I exploded in movement immediately.

"Luce Carentes—Light!" the images faded into nothingness…but Ryuu remained. He stared at me for a moment with his eyes still beseeching.

"Help," he whispered.

"What's wrong? What happened to you, and where are you?" I demanded. He did not respond, shuddering.

"I don't have a lot of time. I'm not strong enough right now; I need to save my strength for later. Promise me you'll come looking for me…I need you. I didn't need you at all earlier compared to now, but it's not safe. You aren't safe."

"I don't understand," frustration caused my agony to grow. He bent over in a sudden wave of pain, and darkness covered him. "Ryuu!"

Pain squealed through my veins as my vision cleared.

* * *

Somewhere in the distance I heard Kumamon's voice: "Crystal Freeze!"

I groaned as I stood up, shaking off the feeling of dread that the Digimon had brought upon me. I had to focus now; Ryuu could wait. "Perry!" Robert's voice in the distance made me jerk my head. "We need help!"

_He moves like the wind; how am I supposed to catch him? _I thought, launching myself closer one tree at a time. _I need a plan so I don't end up hurting myself—or the others for that matter._

Right about then a seed the size of a watermelon smashed into my left shoulder, sending me into the oak I had attempted to launch out of.

"Gah!" I threw my right foot between my body and the tree to prevent damage to my face, kicking off in the direction of my new foe…to realize a very critical mistake.

I slammed my feet into the solid body of my new opponent and rebounded to a safe distance on the ground. The Warrior of Wood himself stood between me and the others (wherever they were).

"You again," I cursed my bad luck.

"Yeah, it's me," he clarified. "I came to wrest that Spirit from you, eh? You ain't gonna be needing that no longer; I even got a deal for you. You give me Spirits, and Arbormon'll give you the bird's egg. Sounds good, right? I knew you'd like it. You and I see eye to eye on these things…figuratively."

I sidestepped trying to see what was going on behind him in all that black. "Can't you wait for like, five minutes?"

"This is a one time deal here, right?" he persisted. "Just give me the Spirit. See, ever since the Bird found our hideout, he's liability, eh? So if we have him out of our hair, we can scan him later."

"Give me the egg first, and then I'll give you the Spirit."

"You think Arbormon didn't think you would say that?" he accused.

"Uh…yes, I did," my mind raced to find some logical way of tricking him. "See, in my culture, people give you something as a gift before you return the favor. So it would be against my traditions and cultures to give my Spirit to you first."

His black, beady eyes narrowed significantly. This was definitely not going to work…but if I could see the egg…

"I don't have a lot of time here, pal. Bird might show up any minute now to fry me like wood chips."

"I want proof that you're not going to take my Spirit and run," I folded my arms across my chest. "Show me the egg first."

He punched his fist into the tree on his left, and the egg fell into his open palm. "There, see?"

A whir of black heat and flames surged as fast as the shadows, and the egg was gone. It left me and Arbormon. The whole atmosphere about me started to burn as I readied myself for a fight; I would need all the power I could get.

"That don't help me none," the Warrior of Wood examined the sky for a moment before fixing his eyes upon me. "But I ain't in the mood to fight him or you none; so I'll leave you a warning. When we do fight, you're gonna have a lot more than you can handle heaped on your plate."

I stopped charging power. There was no use pushing at a lost cause; I had a good feeling that he was more than I could handle. Saberdramon had his egg; I had to secure my Beast Spirit. When we met again, I would be ready.

"Alright," I consented. "By the time you make up your mind, I'm sure we'll have fixed Grumblemon real good."

Arbormon didn't answer; he put his hand on the tree nearest to him and walked into it. He became part of the tree. _He's bound to use them to get around as fast as he does. That must be it…but what about the others?_

Saberdramon landed with a thud on the ground and shook his wings. His eyes glowed in the semi-darkness; he held his egg within the confines of his right foot's talons. The egg thrummed with red heat within its shell.

"My thanks, Warrior of Sky," his voice rumbled.

"You never needed my help; why are you thanking me?" I asked.

His eyes shone for a moment before darkening once more. "There are few of those who are willing to fight for what is right, not necessarily for good, but fighting justly. You did not engage in combat the Warrior of Wood; I commend you for that."

"My friends need help; can we continue this later?"

"I don't think you will find that necessary. They have already managed to succeed against their adversary."

_Wow, he likes to use big words, _I thought. "Oh…never mind that then. If I may, I would like to ask you why the evil Legendary Warriors fear you so greatly."

"_Fear_ is the absence of reason," he concluded. "I know before I do something what the outcome will be; they don't. They never know what will happen to them, never knowing what their…assignment, per say, will be. As a Legendary Warrior, you work for no one but yourself. Perhaps you ask assistance from the authorities, the more powerful beings of this world, but as I act, you act strictly as you wish. That's the way I like it."

I nodded; I loosened the grip of the data about me until I was human again. "Do you consider me an ally then?"

He didn't respond at first; instead, he looked up at the yellow moon that was coming out from the clouds. His head tilted downwards in my direction. "It is said that my kind has been so few due to our great aggravation towards the other Digimon. They have caused us great pain; they tear down our rooks and banish us. So I think that being allies, Fledgling, is good for us."

He entered the air once more and let the wind take him away from my eyes. I walked ever so slowly back to the clearing where the others would be; how easy it had seemed, for Saberdramon to swoop in and take his egg! Why had he not torn Arbormon to pieces?

_Honor. _The Digimon's words burned their way into my mind_. "There are few of those who are willing to fight for what is right, not necessarily for good, but fighting justly." _

I stepped into the clearing to find all of the others fast asleep under a heavy cloud of luscious mist. Koji was lying by his tree, refusing any treatment that was being given. My eyes distrusted the way the mist moved; looking at it made my eyes feel heavy.

Leaning my back up against the nearest tree, I found myself looking up at the sky where the moons were causing even the thickest clouds to glow in different colors. It was peaceful…how long would it last that way? I looked down at Robert who was proceeding to sleep with his head on Takuya's shoe.

A smile made its way across my face. Long enough.


	10. Chp 9 The White Tree & Kyochrysaetosmon

It took me a bit longer to configure some stuff on this one; I've been trying to get way too many projects done at once. Already have a head start on Chapter10, so that one shouldn't be such a long wait. Thank you for being patient!

* * *

Chapter 9. the White Tree; Kyochrysaetosmon

It had to be real; I blatantly refused to accept the fact that this could be anything other than paradise. It was beautiful.

The air was thick and warm with a light mist coming down through the trees. The sun continued to poke through the clouds ever few minutes to shed light on us. In the back of my mind I knew that Ryuu was somewhere nearby; everyone was safe. All the pain had been lifted off my shoulders.

I sat with my fingers buried in cool earth watching with breathless anticipation as another being approached me. His black hair lay like a lion's mane with his eyes bright. He looked deathly familiar…but all of my thoughts dwelled in the fact that he had once been the feared Duskmon. He dressed in a collared button-up shirt with sleeves ended at his wrists with black dress pants; he was barefoot.

He kneeled down next to me without our eyes breaking. I tilted my head slightly to the right as he began to say something. Instead he simply drew breath and showed me an interested smile.

We leaned in closer…and the image was shattered into a half a billion pieces.

* * *

My eyes snapped open as the huge, flaming body of Saberdramon soared overhead. I propped myself up on my elbows; Koji, Neemon, and Bokomon were nowhere to be seen. The others were still fast asleep from the mist that had done its trick. A groan made its way past my throat.

Slowly I got to my feet as my muscles ached beneath me. I summoned what strength I had at that time to sprint to the next clearing where Saberdramon was sure to land.

"Wonderful morning—did you enjoy your sleep?" he cocked his head. "You look disturbed."

"I wasn't quite ready to wake up yet," I took in a deep breath. "Why have you returned so soon? Shouldn't you be with your egg?"

"Too many questions," he grunted. "We're losing valuable time if you keep on chattering like that. Get on."

"B-But you're…" He snorted impatiently and swung his wing at me with enough force to pin me to the ground.

I wrestled to get out from under the heat of the wing…but then I stopped. The flames didn't hurt at all; they simply licked at my clothes, swirling on my skin. "How?" I asked as he pressed his wing into his side.

"It is said that only the admirable, the worthy so to speak, can ride on the backs of Birdramon and Saberdramon," his eyes revealed nothing while his voice bordered the edge of monotony. _That's right. The voice told me that about Birdramon, didn't he?_

I swallowed good and hard. Was I really going to do this? Should I leave without warning the others first? They were capable of defending themselves, I think.

I leapt up onto the monstrous Digimon's back to seal the deal. His wings whipped out from his body with a hiss of wind; each flap took us further from the forest. _Maybe this is my chance to find Ryuu. He seemed terrified in that vision that Bakumon gave me, almost like he was in pain. Did he get captured, or did something else bad happen? _

_Probably, _the voice startled me into jerking upright. Saberdramon shuddered abruptly as the flames on his back began to crackle incessantly. _I must admit that this talk of this 'Ryuu' is boring me, do remind me why you are so concerned with this irritable creature._

I clenched my teeth for the longest time; it was just as sharp of pain as the first day. He seemed to not be enjoying himself like usual, probably bored to death that he had my mind to sit in.

_People are supposed to look out for each other; it's not really a matter whether or not he annoys me or not…_

_He might not annoy you; he infuriates _me_. Huge difference, _his voice went border-line finicky like a little kid.

_You never did explain why you were here in the first place, _I hinted, hoping that he would leave. Instead he started to warm himself up.

_The mind is a tricky thing—quite like myself. It has a lot of opposites working together as a unit; yin and yang, black and white, hot and cold. I'll give you this hint: your little _Dragon _Boy lacked something that you had, and it made you the better candidate. _He left, and it left the pain pulsating in the right side of my skull.

"Did you feel that?" I asked Saberdramon when I could think clearly once more.

"Something," he admitted. "Almost…" He trailed off and did not speak another word, brooding the matter in his head.

It was about noon or so when Saberdramon started to lose altitude. Below us was a great vast plain ridged with hills, with Trailmon tracks running through it; in the middle of the plain was a great tree. The tree was lit like a Christmas tree with thousands of bright, fluorescent colors pleasing to the eye. The bushes that surrounded the tree also glowed with a white light.

Saberdramon landed with a powerful slam of his feet on the ground; I slid off his back, stunned at the sight before me.

"What is this place?" I asked.

"The Village of Beginnings: it is the place where Digi-Eggs are protected. When Digimon die, they do not truly die—the eggs come here to be reborn. They are cared for by Swanmon, a friend of mine. Come," he started to walk towards the tree.

At first I didn't move. There was a bittersweet feeling to this place; if I went, what would happen to it when we left it later? Would it still be as safe as it is now if I knew about it?

"Come!" Saberdramon barked. Startled, I stumbled after him. When I had caught up to his side, he questioned me. "What hinders you?"

"It's nothing," I insisted. "Why did you choose to bring me here alone instead of with the others?"

"I'm sure that they will have their chance to visit here as well. However, they won't be able to see what I will show you. It is…not what my grandfather wanted," he spoke with sudden sorrow and agony.

I did not interrupt his thoughts until we reached the edge of the village. There I noticed what had been shining from so far away: hundreds and hundreds of Digi-eggs. They were speckled, dotted, striped, and marked with many different patterns.

"Is that you, Saberdramon?" a feminine voice called. A white, swan-like Digimon stepped out from around one of the bushes. She was entirely white except for what blue marked the tips of her feathers. Her bill was yellow with her feet cone-shaped. Everything about her gave me the feeling of home back in the Human World.

"Yes, I would like you to meet Rin Morti—the Legendary Warrior of Sky. Our visit will be short…How is he?"

"Your son is fine. He should hatch in the next few days," she assured him. Saberdramon nodded once.

"You have my thanks." He passed started walking again; I ran to catch up. "I don't know if you realize, child, but my line has stretched back almost to the time of warring Human and Beast Digimon. About…say, forty years ago, my grandfather visited this place to retrieve his son, my father. He was ambushed there by what beast is acknowledged as Skull-Satamon.

"From what he had heard, the staff wielded by Skull-Satamon contained huge amounts of power stored in its crystal ball at the top, so he tried to attack in that manner. The enemy proved too great of a match, but my grandfather knew that if he were to be defeated the Village of Beginnings would be in grave danger. He sacrificed himself, throwing his wings out to take one of the attacks thrown his way. That was when my father hatched, and with a great power, Digivolved to Saberdramon, defeating Skull-Satamon.

"When my father looked around for his elder, he simply found a white tree, a trunk. It stood at half his height. So from there my father went away. Then came the moon when my father died, and I visited this place in hopes that meditation would provide the answer. I fasted for days in the presence of the tree, meditating…but my ignorance showed through. In anger I struck the tree; yet it was in that moment that I realized the truth."

We stepped into a narrow clearing that was not easily seen by the eye, and I could see the white tree. The trunk had been sliced at a seventy-degree angle so that it only stood about seven feet tall. Three gashes had been sliced into it as Saberdramon had described.

"One day you may have to be the one to protect this place again," his voice came as a whisper. "Please, I ask this for the sake of those who were scanned that they may be remembered for their deeds. For as long as I live, I will hunt down those who break the peace."

"Then why didn't you attack Arbormon yesterday?" I protested suddenly, feeling a sudden breath of audacity. "The evil Legendary Warriors are…"

"_Your _problem," his eyes narrowed. "You are a Legendary Warrior; I won't interfere with them unless I have to. When they knock at my door, then I shall break them down with it. They fear me now. You have to prove your worth, Morti; you will do that by facing your fears. Make them fear _you_."

I did not say a word. All that he had thrown at me in this instance was almost too much to bear: was he implying that I was a coward? That I should have, myself, faced Arbormon? That I would someday have to face Duskmon and the others? The last one surely would happen no matter what...but it made me cold on the inside. So what was I to do?

"Okay," I said. Somewhere inside me I was able to find the might to speak with confidence. "That's what being a Legendary Warrior is about; saving the Digital World…But there's still a problem."

"What?" he demanded. "Why do you delay in your understanding?"

"I have to find my Beast Spirit," I told him all about how Gigasmon had kicked our butts back at the Karatsukinumemon Mountain, how that was how we actually ended up meeting at the evil Legendary Warrior hideout. I even added how Ryuu, my look-alike, had gotten knocked off the mountain.

"I'm afraid I know nothing of Spirits," he said, seeming to regain some of his neutral emotions. "I'm sorry about earlier; I didn't mean to snap. The emotions I carry about this place are melancholy and doleful. It makes me angry thinking about how weak I was back then just because of my thoughts."

"Thank you for showing me this though…" I trailed off. "I need to get back to the others; they probably in trouble already."

"Yes," he said. He turned without one more look at the tree his grandfather had left behind. But I took one longer, harder look, and then as I turned out of the clearing, I made sure it was still there one last time.

* * *

The air had a different feel as we returned to the place we had left the others. Charged, full of static ready to turn into lightning bolts. The fire upon Saberdramon's back flickered with a new manner too; inwardly he felt the same thing.

Far off I could make out the coastline with the rushing sea beneath its cliff. A thin grassy plain wavered back and forth before it approached three stones carved in the shape of…humanoid heads. My eyes drew to the running figure that had to have been a Digimon, two Digimon running towards those stone figures?

"Something's up," I straightened. "Have any suggestions?"

"Mm…" he didn't answer.

_I can't wait for him to make up his mind; I have to go now! _I snatched up my D-Tector and slid off Saberdramon. "Execute! Spirit Evolution—Kusoramon!"

My wings caught the air, casting me right between the two. I was capable of recognizing the pursuer as Gigasmon chasing Lobomon. Anything beyond that wasn't important.

I absorbed the rest of the energy about me to pack a punch at the enemy's oblong head. "Aaargh!"

He slid in the dirt with his feet for a moment; his topaz eyes glared momentarily before trying to decide between me and the far-off Lobomon. "Me no time for this, but Spirit will me have too!"

He leapt up in the air swinging his giant arms back much too far. _This isn't going to end well, _I thought.

"Tectonic Slam!" His feet hit the ground, his arms moved as Saberdramon's own feet met the ground for a split second of balance. Then his left foot caught one of Gigasmon's arms to catch him off guard. "Eh?"

Saberdramon lunged with his right foot catching the Legendary Warrior in the chin. He flapped his wings with all his strength surging to the blame flame adorning his body, and the flames enveloped Gigasmon in the Bird Digimon's triumph.

Gigasmon shook like a wet dog to douse the flames before giving Saberdramon the death stare. "You no play fair; fools to challenge Gigasmon!"

Saberdramon did not respond; neither did I. _Maybe there is something to be learned here, if he actually interfered with the fight. I must admit though, that was brave of him. Should I fight too, or would that take away his honor?_

"Well? Why Bird fight with Sky brat? Fool to win, you pay," he snarled. "Quagmire Twister!" He spun in a violent twister straight for Saberdramon.

Saberdramon spun at the last second with his wings drawn out from his sides making evasive maneuvers with his feet; when Gigasmon paused, he struck the Digimon's feet out from under him.

"No way here, out of way!" Gigasmon's fist connected with Saberdramon's neck, knocking him to the ground as the Warrior of Earth raced after Lobomon again. I raced up to Saberdramon to try and help him up. It was as if his body was getting more and more tired by the minute, even when he was not under attack.

He hissed at me when I did so. "Help your friend, fledgling. I'll be fine." As if to prove me wrong, he lurched to his feet with a sputtering of black flame. I hesitated for a second longer before sprinting after Gigasmon.

To my greater shock, I actually managed to close some of the distance between us. "Hey!" I shouted.

"Mm?" he jerked his head back for a moment before hitting the brakes. "Now, Sky brat! Quagmire Twister!"

I slid in the dirt, letting my wings curl tight to my body as I slid beneath him. Then I was running again.

"No run…" his voice trailed off; there was no way I was gonna be getting off the ground at this rate. I could take this one. "Tectonic Slam!"

The earth crumbled under my feet when I left it in a jump, the momentum carrying me to safe ground. I whirled around with my wings furled again to burn off some ozone.

"Luce Carentes—Light!" I launched the wave of energy with the golden bird exploding outward from me ever eager to burn a hole into Gigasmon's hide.

The blow knocked him back in the dirt; his feet slid back a good seven or eight feet. Yet he was still standing with a triumphant glare.

"Me no think so," he growled. He took one step forward…but something behind us moved. His topaz eyes watched too closely behind me. So I turned around.

The three stone head figures I had mentioned before? They were turning round to face us, with red glowing eyes. I stood frozen for what seemed like forever waiting for the things to incinerate me, for a laser shot out from them. Then I noted the brilliant white object sitting at my feet that I dare not touch.

"Beast Spirit!" Koji cried out, raising his D-Tector. The object flew to him, and he was enveloped in a bright light that burned my eyes to the point that I De-Spirit Evolved. "Beast Spirit Evolution—Kendogarurumon!" he howled.

I backed off as his image became clearer through all the light. He was a huge, heavily armored wolf whose white armor was bordered by a bright yellow, almost gold. His feet were guarded by three long claws, with a wheel attached to the back of all of his heels. Two golden, metallic jet-like wings were attached to his back. Purple bands were seen on his legs, his tail, and a solid purple mark on his lower jaw. His teeth were sharp with his eyes misty and hazy, like the Spirit part was still very evident. He threw his head back and made a groaning, snarling sound that was more beast than human. The wheels spun without the Digimon's moving an inch, while he shook his head back and forth.

Gigasmon made a discontented sound, but then he spoke with sudden tenacity. "Heh, looks like things not so bad for me after all. You should not keep when you not in control!" He rushed Kendogarurumon.

The Beast Spirit whirled its head towards the on-coming enemy with a sudden knowing. The beast wanted a fight; Koji wanted it just as badly. But therein lay my huge mistake. I was much too close.

I scrambled to my feet and ran, but I knew I wasn't going to make it like this. An explosion of light, snarling, and a great crunching of rock told me off…but it was about then too that something came up from the shadows.

It opened wide its jaws with a thunderous growl booming outwards from its chest. The beast came from my left, launching off its back feet and throwing itself and me to the ground. My eyes slammed shut as its feet shoved me into the ground.

When I finally opened my eyes, the ground had stopped shaking. Standing above me, his feet were mere inches from touching my knees.

He was on all fours, his armor black with golden eagle heads covering his shoulders, hips, and one large eagle head on his chest with its beak bent forward and gaping. Red eyes glared at me from within his armored skull: dark golden armor two inches thick protected his narrow, rounded head. His head was that of a hyena, a savage smaller dog, with an eel's neck attaching it to the body: the neck was a foot long and was colored black. His spine was rigid and ended with a dinosaur-like tail. Ankylosaurus, I guessed, from how it was a club. The main body was also shaped quite dinosaur-like, rounded with tough metal plates protecting him. His feet had three large toes with one smaller toe off to the side; his legs were stocky but wouldn't topple so easily.

Those red eyes penetrated mine for the longest time as his armored chest vibrated. His whole body quaked without control but not once did he close his eyes.

"Back down," Saberdramon's voice made our heads snap away.

"Run away," his voice whispered in my head. "Please." The voice wasn't familiar, deep and ancient. Yet I had enough sense to flee.

"Don't challenge him!" I warned Saberdramon as I got closer. I quickly threw myself on his back. "Fly."

He reluctantly obeyed; I watched as the monstrous Digimon shuddered briefly for a moment before vanishing. Not running away. Just gone.

"What was that thing?" I asked.

"A beast surrounded in Darkness; there are few that can contend with that," he had no emotion in his voice. When he spoke of darkness, he spoke of it like it was a being. "I'm sure you have met others; that one will be back."

_A being like Duskmon? Other Digimon associated with darkness will never turn out well for us. But that Digimon..._

I shuddered. Saberdramon dropped in altitude about two hundred yards away from the others, landing there. I could justify his reasoning; it wasn't a good time for talking.

I turned towards the cliff where a rock-like Digimon was talking to Koji farther in the distance. Then I turned back to Saberdramon.

"I want to know something before you go." He tucked his wings in while his eyes wasn't going to verbally respond, not yet. Then I hesitated. "Keep safe."

I turned my back to him to take those steps back towards the others. But instead he spoke up. "You have a condition for me, child?"

For the longest time I stood without moving. "Do you know the story about uniting the Light, Darkness, Void, and Sky?"

He made a disgruntled sound in the back of his throat. "Of all the legends that inhibit this world, that one had the most missing pieces…so I don't know the whole story. Of what I was told, the Spirits of Darkness and Light were knitted tightly together as were the Spirits of Void and Sky. When they met, Darkness and Light were bound to Sky in a way that they did not understand. Yet Void was wise—at least he thought he was. When Void fell into trouble, Light did not wish to aid him. Yet because Sky was bound to Void, Darkness agreed. They split apart, re-formed, and split apart hundreds of times. Yet when hard times did come, they were a force greater than any Celestial Digimon."

"So how does it end?"

"That piece is missing; maybe your part of it will replace it," he suggested wryly. "I've places to be, fledgling. I will keep an eye out for Ryuu."

"Thank you," I lowered my head in silent recognition. When I lifted my head up again, he had raised himself up into the air.

I stood still for a moment longer before returning to the others. Koji sat on the ground with bruises shading his face and arms. The others were worrying over him, not looking in my direction. Koji didn't even look at me.

"You're alive!" Robert jumped at me from out of nowhere. He pounced on my shoulder and jiggled up and down.

The others turned towards me; Takuya wore an unpleasant frown. "Where have you been?"

"Out and about; Saberdramon and I had some business to take care of."

"Say what?" JP raised an eyebrow. "Who's that?"

I took a step to the left away from them to scan the skies. He was a speck of black already somewhere high above the Forest Kingdom—maybe even on the other side of it already. _See you on the other side; hope you can find Ryuu._

"You should head home, Gotsumon," Koji addressed the rock-like Digimon that was still standing beside him.

It was entirely made of stone with hands and feet, with large eyes and stubby ear-like extensions coming out from its skull. With its arms folded across its chest, it continued to watch me warily.

"What about this one?" he asked in reference to me. Was that a challenge?

_Eliminate those who strike opposition against you, _the oh-so-familiar voice growled. The pain did not strike me. Yet._ Start with this Digimon before us. _

_I'm not that gullible, _I reminded him. _You're going to have to do a lot better than that. _

_Oh, you will wear in time, _he promised. As he left, a fissure of pain caused my teeth to bind together for a moment.

"This is Perry," Takuya said. "She's the Legendary Warrior of Sky."

"Humph," he responded. "That about does it for me. I'm outta here."

"Thank you for all your help," Zoe told him. The Digimon cast me one final look before heading further back into the plain that was sculpted in the midst of the forest.

"Well…back into the forest then?" Tommy suggested. I didn't look back at them, thoughts lingering elsewhere.

_Where could he be? What was that thing that approached me before, that saved my life? _

"Let's move out!" Takuya strutted past me. I stood still as everyone moved past me…except Koji.

"What?" he asked with a snap, wearied from his fight.

Unease settled in my bones; Robert made a weird sound in the back of his throat, speaking up. "Did you feel that?"

"Something," I answered, casting a look up at the sky. _Be careful, Saberdramon._

I followed the others back into the forest with Koji somewhere behind me; each step made me feel like I was walking into a trap. Yet we journeyed on.

As the others were consistently ahead of us, Robert and I held our own discussions in quiet murmurs to not alert Koji who ambled behind us. Honestly I didn't know why he was by us either.

"So…he's our ally?" Robert frowned. "That's good I guess…Skull-Satamon, huh? You know, I think that's what got my mom. They can summon others of their kind, wield a staff with a yellow orb mounted on the top; they don't care who they go after. This Digimon that saved you…I did get a bit of a look and stole a peek from Bokomon's book while his back was turned."

"Well?"

"Kyochrysaetosmon," he clarified loudly with as much gruffness as he could squeeze out of his high-pitched voice. Koji jumped behind me.

"Quiet," I growled, and he sighed loudly in my ear.

"I only saw a picture and a small brief description before I had to shut the book," he whispered. "Under the paragraph the page turned black: no one knows a whole lot about 'em I guess. I don't really trust much of what comes out of that thing anyways…Oh! Right, so the book said that Kyochrysaetosmon can turn invisible at will because of the element that makes up its atoms. In past occurrences it would ally itself with darker, menacing Digimon…not a fun guy to have at a party. It is known for its…Atlante-Mortem attack," he trailed off after a while, unnerved.

"That's Latin, isn't it?" I guessed. "Mount Atlas' Death?"

"Or simply 'Atlas' Death'," he rephrased.

My eyes automatically slid towards Koji. _I'm not gonna risk it anymore. _"Why are you back here?" I addressed Koji. Robert blinked his eyes at me for a moment before pivoting around.

"We're kinda in the middle of something important. Why don't you go, I don't know…find a bone to chew on? Eat Takuya…or something."

He caught up to my pace casting me a warning glare. "I don't trust you two by yourselves. If you hadn't gone running off, then we would be at the Forest Terminal by now."

"You ran off this morning," I reminded curtly.

"If you hadn't cast Gigasmon off the cliff instead of tearing him to pieces, Zoe would have her Spirit back too," Robert grumbled.

This new bit of information made me stop. "What?"

Koji kept walking and cursed the Poyomon under his breath. Robert ended up telling me the whole event afterwards.

_This isn't good, _I clenched my teeth. _At this rate Gigasmon will have all our Spirits…did he take Ryuu's too? _Rage flared in my bones at that.

"Tell me about the attack," I said aloud to Robert. He looked around warily before muttering an answer back.

"You saw how powerful Kendogarurumon was without physically using any attacks. Kyochrysaetosmon is fueled by his element; if he were to have enough data, he could take out entire kingdoms. He's kinda like Kusoramon, really.

"Every Digimon has a favored attack due to its effect or how strong it is. The effects of an attack wear out after a while like Agunimon's Pyro Tornado; the enemy only stays trapped for a short time because of how virtually weak the attack is (no real offense to Takuya intended). The shorter explanation? Kyochrysaetosmon could squash us like a bunch of Wormmon if he wanted to; I want to know why he hasn't yet."

"He told me to run…that I didn't have much time," I remembered staring into the red eyes of that beast. Was it going to come after me?

"We have to find Ryuu," Robert grimaced. "As much as I _hate _that guy…"

"And why is that?" I interrupted.

"None of your business." He floated behind Koji, who was too preoccupied with his thoughts to notice. "BOO!"

Koji whirled around this time with the most murderous glare; he was ready to have Lobomon use his Kendo on the incessant, infuriating Poyomon. "Hey!" he snarled.

"Whoa! Hold on there," I got between the two of them as fast as I could. The first one I rebuked was Robert who immediately griped about how Koji was my favorite. Koji wasn't near so easy.

"Hey," I said with as much tranquility as I could put into my voice at this point in his livid face. "He won't bother you anymore; I'm sorry."

I took Robert in my hands before cutting through the trees a way to the right, obscuring our view of each other. The Poyomon snorted.

"This is dumb."

"I don't need more enemies than I have now," I responded; I wasn't going to give him any footholds to further this.

"_Well_," he huffed. "What do you suggest?"

I brooded on it for a moment. _The Beast Spirit is hidden so there's no good seeking it out right now. I have a better chance of stumbling across it than anything; Ryuu said he could hear the voices of me and the...person talking to me. If I seek him out, I might end up making the journey longer for him. Which leaves following the others to the Forest Terminal…not quite what I was hoping for._

"We're bound to run into an answer following the others," I decided.

"You just want to stay with Koji!" he pouted. My face went pale, but my voice didn't betray me.

"What?" I snorted in derision. "Did you have a better suggestion?"

"No," he admitted. "However, I did like the look on your face."

I rolled my eyes. "Why don't you go find a chocolate bar or something? It'll keep your mouth busy."

"_Choc_-late! I totally forgot about Chocolate Boy!" he vanished off ahead into the brush.

_Poyomon, _the voice grunted with disgust. _A weak subspecies and nothing more._

_You can think that all you want, but it's not the truth, _I squeezed my eyes shut briefly before opening them. _It won't ever be the truth._

_Oh, really? _He mused. _That is interesting, very interesting indeed. We will see about that when I'm through with this._


	11. Chapter 10 To Fight or Not to Fight

I found myself very happy upon finishing this chapter...but now I'm ahead by 2 episodes. So chapter 11 should be mostly filler, but there's nothing wrong with that. Read, review, and enjoy!

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Chapter 10: To Fight or Not To Fight

My thoughts weren't where they should have been; JP was proclaiming something to the effect of getting Zoe's Spirit back since Koji couldn't control his Beast Spirit well enough to do anything, which had led to Koji's vehement accusation against JP…and now there was a full-fledged squabble going on.

I was sitting under the shade of a tree with my back against the trunk; my eyes were closed as I was trying to replay the images in my head with the so-called 'Duskmon' striding out from the shadows. The image popped when Koji stepped on my ankle.

"Hey!" Robert barked protectively from his perch on my shoulder. I cast a glare in JP's direction.

"Knock it off—the whole forest can hear you."

"Speaking of you," JP gave me a despairing look as though I had ruined his entire day. "You never did tell us why you took off on us."

I closed my eyes to re-form the human Duskmon's face. "I wonder why."

"JP!" Tommy complained. "Don't…"

"We deserve to know," he pressed.

I opened my eyes to find all of them watching me. Robert made an unnerved sound in the back of his throat. "I don't think that's a good idea," he muttered so low that no one else could hear.

My D-Tector started beeping in my pocket; I pulled it out to find it flashing white before resuming a blank screen. "What's going on?" Robert asked.

I had a sinking suspicion in the bottom of my stomach. Kusoramon flashed on and off of the screen, ever patiently waiting.

"That's quite enough!" Bokomon interrupted, probably inferring that I was going to start maiming people. "I think it's about time that we do something productive: it involves a secret known only to a few Digimon. This secret will be able to tell us what to do next."

I ground my teeth together. That wasn't quite the answer I was looking for, and I certainly didn't want to be anywhere near JP right now what with his attitude-adjustment-problem. Takuya had been pretty quiet for the most part when it came down to my disappearance…I wasn't entirely sure about Koji either. He made me feel suspicious.

"All right, let's go," Takuya agreed.

"We just got here," Robert protested.

"_We _should keep moving," JP growled. _What's your problem?_

I was the last one to leave the clearing. Reluctantly I rose to my feet, and I would have made it all the way into the trees if I hadn't tripped when the voice spoke to me.

_You're actually listening to the leader of the Brat Brigade? How touching,_ my foot connected with a tree root to bring me to the ground with a grunt. Startled, Robert jumped off of me.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," I hefted myself back up; he floated back up to my shoulder.

"We don't have to go with them you know. We could make a detour or something…"

"It's fine, Robert, really," I insisted. When I looked up, I found Koji watching me. He waited for me to approach him before he started walking again, an arm's length apart from each other.

The Poyomon sucked in a deep breath with his eyes closed before exhaling loudly. "I'll see you guys later; I'm on a mission." He floated up above the canopy of trees out of sight.

Silence filled the forest except for the crunching of dirt and leaves beneath our feet. I flinched when the voice shifted, debating on extending his short visitation or shortening it.

"Tell me what's going on," Koji said with finality. He must've been brooding on this for some time and despite my anticipation for it, it took me off guard.

"It's not of your concern," I brushed him off. I cut around a tree to try and put some space between us, but he caught up with me. "Besides, I didn't ask why you took off on the others." His eyebrows scrunched together.

As though I had treaded on an invisible line, he put space between us. His eyes didn't even drift in my direction while he did so. _Some argument._

I mulled a few options over in my head before dismissing them. Out of everyone else I trusted Robert the most: he would take everything I told him to the grave. Yet Koji had heard the name Kyochrysaetosmon which gave him some type of foothold. _He _is _the Warrior of Light; he's part of this legend too._

"Koji," I said his name at last. He paused to glance back at me before slowing down once more till we were closer. "I asked Saberdramon about the connection between Void, Sky, the Light…" _Should I really say anything about the Darkness? Would it matter? _"And Darkness."

He didn't respond, so I continued. "There were a lot of holes in the story, but he spoke of how Void and Sky, Light and Darkness—they're all connected."

"Which means what for us?" his eyes kept focused ahead.

"We have to make it to the Forest Terminal; there, I believe, we can understand why we're here. I've met Darkness, Koji, and I know this is going to sound really stupid, but…"

"Darkness?" he raised his eyebrows. "Is that who you went to see?"

"No," I felt the blood leave my face. "Not at all—he's not on our side."

"Oh," he struggled to find his next question.

"We have to help him when we see him next," I told him. "As much as I know he wants to kill me, we have to help him."

Silence fell once again between us. He stopped to turn towards me, hesitating. There was a concern lingering in his thoughts that irritated him. His eyes went in the direction of the others who were already a considerable distance ahead. Then they returned to me.

"I'm not worried about the Warrior of Darkness," he told me. The confidence in the statement was a key factor to the truth in this. "Are there any other pieces in that legend that could explain anything?"

I paused. I hadn't been quite so sure what Koji had discussed with Ryuu back at the Karatsukinumemon Mountain, and I wasn't sure if I wanted to know all of it. On different accounts I had shared information with Robert, Ryuu, and Koji…just not the others of the group. Ryuu and I had a connection that we both felt; therefore I trusted him. Robert had given me a lot of advice, kept my spirits up, all those sorts of things. If he were human, we would have been a great match.

"I'm not going to lie," I spoke slowly to form the right words. "What Saberdramon told me didn't make very much sense. He spoke like the four Spirits were…I don't know…" I struggled to not set off his temper. "Ryuu said he could find me because of how we were connected; that's how he found me the first time, but…"

His eyes immediately glowered at me like I had been caught strangling his dog. What invisible line had I crossed? "I don't believe you."

"I'm not asking you to; I…"

"This discussion is over," he growled. I watched as he resumed following the others with anger burning through me. _How I would like to bash him over the head and bury him in the woods._

_I can arrange that, _the voice hummed.

_I'll pass…for now. _

_Suit yourself; I am here when you need me. _He faded into the recesses of my mind.

When we left the forest, we came upon a village filled with tents of various sizes and colors like those to be found at a festival or a carnival (minus the food and plus about fifty different fortune tellers). Digimon of all sorts of shapes and sizes lined the main roads to listen to these tellers of fate.

I kept behind the others viewing the Digimon strewn about us with suspicion; I had never liked the idea of looking into the future. I preferred to stumble upon my life issues, not watch for them.

"I've never had my fortune told before," Tommy informed Bokomon, who was at the front of our company.

"I had my palm read once; it took a week to get the paint off," Neemon added. Robert, on Takuya's shoulder, gave him a despairing look.

"I don't even _have _palms; how are they supposed to tell my future if I don't have hands?"

"Come on, do you really think any of these weirdoes can tell the future?" JP criticized just before a praying mantis with a purple bag on its head grabbed hold of his arm. Or was that its brain? Its skin was the color of fat with it bearing five spindly legs and arms that made me think of Gollum from the Lord of the Rings. Its eyes were too bright with its mouth resembling a frog.

"Oh, yes round one, it is all so clear," the creature spouted.

"I don't believe in any of this mumbo jumbo," JP retracted his arm. I rolled my eyes and passed the others as they waited for JP to get rid of the clingy insect. I was not going to wait.

As I was passing a fluorescent blue tent, a grey-colored bird foot grabbed me by my ankle and drug me inside. The creature had closed the tent covering before I could even open my mouth.

"I have just what you need to hear," the Digimon proclaimed. Its height meandered to my shoulders with its head a pale, coconut-flesh white with green ferns growing from the top of its brown body. The legs were grey like the feet; its eyes were black like a Poyomon. It looked like a bird made out of a kiwi.

"Look, I'm really not interested…"

"It concerns the Dragon," it interrupted. I felt my body grow rigid; Ryuu's name translated to dragon. There was a card table with a scarlet red cloth covering it; the Digimon jumped upon it and began to speak. "I know well that you will not seek the advice of us, but I have something that you should take to heart. It is up to you to believe it or not."

I stood up, waiting.

"The Dragon is cunning and crafty, but he has taken more gold than his body can cover. His strength wanes as a beast of bone holds the key to his survival; he needs the key to release him from his prison. He needs you to find the key."

The curtain was flung open by Takuya. "Come on, Perry, we don't have all day." Robert stared behind me.

"There's no one in there, Taky," he spoke quietly, nervous. When I looked behind me, the bird Digimon was gone.

I followed them the rest of the way to a large building, a temple constructed of faded stone. The entrance was elaborate and held up by pillars…yet it seemed forgotten and old.

"Are you sure about this Bokomon?" Tommy asked.

"Yeah, all these fortune tellers seem fake," JP put in.

"Like my Grandmamon's teeth!" Neemon clarified proudly. As the doors were pulled open, I took another glance behind us. Something didn't feel right about this place.

"Have faith, please, I do know what I'm doing. Shamanmon is the real thing," Bokomon went ahead. I kept to the back; if this guy was the real thing, I didn't want him screwing with my future. "Shamanmon, we call upon your wisdom, insight, and well…just ask you for two cents of your advice."

"Who calls upon Shamanmon?" the creature had his back to us. His form looked distinctively familiar; his skin was dark green. Too small of a blue shirt and cut off black shorts were his clothes. His feet were huge while the club he held in his hand was even bigger. His voice was deep and monotonous.

"Weary travelers, in need of guidance from the universe," Bokomon answered him.

"Oh, you'll get guidance all right," he chuckled, turning to face us. He looked like a Goblimon with yellow hair and fangs.

"Wait a minute, I know you!" Takuya accused. I took three steps back towards the door.

"You're one of those nasty Goblimon from the Wind Factory," Zoe indicted with a hint of anger.

"Let's get 'em!" Tommy shouted.

"No, no, no! Shamanmon's one of the good guys," Bokomon waved his arms back and forth like he was trying to achieve lift-off. "He is a medium who does a dance and uses his ceremonial club to see into the future."

Shamanmon started to hop back and forth gallantly between his two humongous feet. "You should be very careful; you face much danger. You will come up against a foe you have faced before, but this foe has a friend that, in meeting him, will show you that your friend is your foe."

"Huh?" Tommy couldn't understand.

"I don't believe it," Takuya answered him.

"Then listen to this," Shamanmon jumped right in front of Tommy and Takuya, pointing his club at them. "The greatest test will be faced by you two! This test has the power to destroy you all if you aren't careful."

"But we don't want to get destroyed," Takuya protested.

"Then trust in who you are and trust in your friendship," Shamanmon retreated back to where he had been before, resuming his weird dance. Then his gaze fell upon me in the back of the room. "You, Cold Forest, listen to me."

"I don't want your help," I answered flatly. His eyes reduced to a glare that threatened me to say more against him.

"You will be torn between the three that Sky cares most about, and when you are wrong, the one who hates you will leave you scarred. The Dragon screams in the forest," at this he pointed in the direction of the literal forest outside, "where the key to his survival must be found. Yet when you help him, you will find that no one can save you from yourself. You must conquer the agony that brews within you, to defeat…"

The earth rumbled beneath our feet, and Shamanmon fell on his back like a turtle. I took hold of my D-Tector. "Everyone, out!"

They obeyed, but Robert came to place himself on my shoulder. "Kyochrysaetosmon is close; I can feel it! Grumblemon is going to set him off—we have to get out of here. We can recover Zoe's Spirit later, but we have to get out _now_!"

"The others won't understand what we are talking about; let's fight Grumblemon and get it over with," I argued.

I ran out of the temple to find Grumblemon perched on top of a giant Digimon made of rock. Its head was that of a turtle with a metal helmet attached by a belt. The rocks on his arms were held to his shoulders by a metallic binding. The being, what Bokomon called Golemon, was three times the height of Kendogarurumon (well, depending how big they drew him at the time).

"Holy rock!" Robert exclaimed. For once I agreed with him completely.

"Grumblemon came with angry surprise for little Spirit kids!" the Earth Warrior looked down upon us from between the shoulders of Golemon.

"One of these days I'm going to beat that jerk for good," Koji snarled.

"When are you going to learn? How about working with the rest of us, huh?" Zoe argued as Golemon loomed closer.

"Hey, guys, how about a little less talk and a lot more action?" I offered, planting my feet firmly. _I hope Robert is wrong. _Behind us the temple was bathed in a pure white light.

Golemon jumped up into the air with his fist held back, ready to pummel the others who stood in his way.

"Save me," Neemon whimpered, ears held down while clutching Bokomon.

"Just give me a minute," Takuya answered.

"We don't have a minute! Execute, Spirit Evolution…Kusoramon," I unfurled my wings as Golemon's fist met the ground, knocking the others back.

"Minute's over!" Takuya found his D-Tector, and the others Spirit Evolved. They stood at my sides as Koji prepared to Beast Spirit evolve.

"Now for the beast: execute, Beast Spirit!"

"Me no think so," Grumblemon took a cerulean shell and cast from it a pink substance that formed red lines upon the ground. When Koji's feet touched ground, he was immobilized. His D-Tector dropped to the ground.

"What's going on? I can't move," he glared at the red light coming up from the ground.

"Sorry, Kendogarurumon no play today, heh, heh," Grumblemon seemed quite proud of this accomplishment. I would have clapped for him, but I had a feeling that this wasn't going to be the day to beat him. "You no move till Grumblemon say so."

Kumamon leapt into the air sucking in a deep breath. "Crystal Freeze!" Grumblemon and Golemon separated; Golemon dodged with a leap into the air before smashing his fist into my ally.

"Kumamon! Aaargh! Thunder Fist!" Beetlemon started to bring his fists down on Golemon's head.

"What an idiot," Robert hissed from the ground; I hadn't moved since I had Spirit Evolved to store energy.

Beetlemon's fists slammed on top of Golemon's head without doing any damage. He retreated to stand by Kumamon as the giant rock opened its mouth.

"Sulfur Plume!" a wave of sulfur knocked the two of them back into a series of stone pillars. _So it can attack; this ought to make things interesting._

"Heh, heh, heh, please no tell me this the best you can do," Grumblemon was watching from atop one of the remaining stone pillars behind Golemon. _Coward._

"What do you have for me, Robert?" I asked.

"The construction is of stone and metal; he has good agility and moves fast for a pile of stones…" Robert trailed off when Agunimon charged forward.

"My turn: Pyro Punch!" he threw a wave of fire that had surrounded his fist at Golemon's head, knocking the tyrant back. His head snapped forward to deliver another Sulfur Plume attack to knock Agunimon away.

"You can do it! Just work together!" Zoe encouraged from a distance away.

I stretched my wings out as the ozone about me began to sizzle.

"Enough, you finished. You surrender Spirits now or be destroyed big time," Grumblemon warned.

"Boy, I'd like to shut that guy up," Beetlemon grumbled from somewhere behind me.

"There's got to be something I can do; any suggestions?" Koji demanded.

Air hissed out of my lungs as I felt the wave of energy growing stronger. Golemon leapt forward to slam his fists into the ground right in front of me, trying to intimidate me.

"Yeah, work together," Agunimon said.

"Hurry up," I focused on one point in front of me as the power transformed into a golden light in the shape of a bird. "Tell me where, Robert…"

"His head!"

"Luce Carentes—Light!" I fired at Golemon's head.

"Right! I'll chill him out: Blizzard Blaster!" Kumamon launched himself into the air firing snowballs at Golemon's face as he tried to recover from my attack.

"Thunder Blitz!" Beetlemon rammed into the beast, knocking it back.

"Pyro Tornado!" Agunimon finished him off with a fiery kick to the chest. Golemon collapsed in the dirt and didn't move so fast any more.

"No!" Grumblemon launched himself up into the air.

"Don't let him get away!" Agunimon snarled.

"Execute! Slide Evolution…Gigasmon," the Warrior of Earth glared at us with his topaz eyes. "Now myself may fix you."

"Blizzard Blaster!" Kumamon once again rained snowballs down on the opponent.

"Quagmire Twister!" as Gigasmon spun, the snowballs melted without damaging him. Kumamon was still headed straight for him, and he was going way too fast.

"Watch out!" I shouted.

"Tommy!" Agunimon was knocked back by the twister as it enveloped Kumamon, spitting him out when his Data was showing.

Gigasmon snapped up the Spirit in his mouth. "Mm, yummy bear!" He clenched his fists. "Me have two now."

"Get out of there you guys!" Zoe called out as Gigasmon leapt high in the air. I stood winded on the ground where I was. This wasn't working.

"Tectonic Slam!" his arms came down when a black shape rushed from out of nowhere to knock me out of the way.

I hit the ground with my wings tucked in against my sides; whatever had slammed into me was gone now. When I looked up, a huge, red Digimon had rammed his head into Gigasmon knocking him a good twenty feet backwards.

He was two and a half times the height of Kendogarurumon with heavy armor guarding his torso, arms, and legs. Scarlet colored his eyes and the main of his armor with his sternum and knees colored golden. Huge, orange wings extended from his back with a tail the length of his wingspan. Yellow rings rounded his tail: red and yellow kill a fellow, red and black was a friend of Jack. So I wasn't about to mess with him. Four metallic claws extended from the ends of his arms. He looked like an angry, fiery dragon.

The beast leaned back and roared in pure agony.

"What is that thing?" Agunimon demanded.

"You mean other than bad news?" Beetlemon took a wary step back as Tommy fled to where Zoe was.

"Now just hold on," Bokomon protested. "That thing may be on our side."

"Okay…but somehow, I don't think so," Takuya blatantly disagreed.

"Whatever he is, he seems very upset," Neemon added as the Digimon turned his howl into an evil-sounding cackle.

Golemon's arms erupted from under the earth, ensnaring the fiery being to drag him down.

"You go 'bye' now!" Gigasmon ordered. Instead, the beast flapped its huge fiery wings till it began to draw Golemon out of the ground.

"Quick, let's get out of here," Beetlemon urged.

The fiery Digimon revolved the golden extensions on his arms to fire flaming missiles at Golemon's head. Golemon could take no more, and releasing the Digimon's feet, he plummeted to earth where he dissolved into sand. Only the metal helmet hit the ground, where the fiery Digimon proceeded to crush it under his foot.

The fiery beast was quick to charge the Warrior of Earth.

"I go 'bye' now!" Gigasmon jumped at the ground, vanishing under the earth before the fiery beast could catch hold of him.

I watched the beast with a strange fascination. His appearance, although it made me wary, also made me strangely content.

_BurningGreymon, _the voice made my Human Spirit body twitch. _A guardian of Flame; there are few who can match his strength. Fire feeds on other elements to keep it strong._

_That means nothing to me, _I dismissed him. He chuckled with good reasoning.

_Oh, not right now, but wait for him to kick you into next week and see if you'll be laughing in that puny Human Spirit form. _He parted with another pinch of pain; Kusoramon was resilient enough to ignore it completely.

"He's strong," Tommy observed in a shaky voice. I turned towards the others keeping one eye on the raging Digimon.

"Too strong," Koji growled in response.

"If he comes after us, there's no way we'll be able to take him out," Zoe took a step back.

"Right, time to go," Bokomon ushered the three further away.

"Agunimon, let's go," Beetlemon turned his back on BurningGreymon. _What is he, ignorant? _

"Yeah," Agunimon reluctantly drew back.

"H-help m-me!" a voice oddly familiar moaned from within the quaking Digimon. "I'm possessed by the Beast Spirit!"

"Shamanmon?" Agunimon turned round once more. We were twenty yards apart both with our attentions fixed on BurningGreymon.

His spine was fixated in an upright position as he spoke while the tremors fought him. "I was in the temple when the Beast Spirit was revealed…the instant I touched it, I was possessed. Please, help me!"

Agunimon took three or four steps forward before the others realized what he was doing. I drew all of the atmosphere that I could to me with my wings outstretched before letting the power sizzle down my arms to my fists.

BurningGreymon howled suddenly with fire jetting up from his torso as his own power fueled his body. Flame wreathed his tail which lashed out at Agunimon; he dodged, launching himself backward.

"Pyro Tornado!" he threw a ball of fire that was easily blocked by the golden cartridge-extensions on BurningGreymon's arms. The cartridges revolved to fire at Agunimon, blasting him with fire.

I charged the Beast and snared my talons in his wings till the monster was thrashing to loosen me. "Adamas Strike!" I pounded him in the back just when he backed into a huge stone pillar.

I landed on the ground with a groan. _That wasn't what I was hoping for._ He whipped his tail round him like a whip to knock Agunimon off his feet; I could see him towering above Agunimon with one of his huge feet pinning him to the ground.

All the while the others were rooted to where they were, unable to move. I struggled to rise up on my arms; was it worth it to continue? Or should I De-Digivolve? _Takuya needs me…I have to fight._

BurningGreymon went rigid with his tremors fighting for control. "Strike now!"

Agunimon kicked him back and backed off to gain a little more ground. I watched as he slammed his fists together to summon all the power he had: "Pyro Tornado!" He threw two waves of fire at the monster's head. BurningGreymon fell on its back to the earth.

"Now to free Shamanmon; my D-Tector should release him," he made a casting motion with his arm while holding on to his D-Tector. "Fractal Code, Digitize!"

The Beast Spirit rushed into Takuya's D-Tector while Shamanmon fell to the ground. Data swirled around Takuya: …he was transforming into BurningGreymon.

_This is going to be a long day, _I could only watch and struggle to get to my feet.

"No! Takuya, back off!" the others shouted to no avail. Takuya cried out in pain as he transformed to loom facing me, his back to the others as BurningGreymon.

I steadied myself. _Let's see how this works out._

"Takuya Kanbara?" I called to him. His head whipped towards me; red, ominous, and full of hate watching me. "I know you're in there somewhere, right?"

He howled as fire screamed up from the ridges in his armor. _I guess not. _His body rushed forward to pivot on one foot as his lizard-like tail connected with my torso; pain rushed through me like a wildfire as I was thrown a good thirty feet to the ground.

I De-Spirit Evolved unwillingly with a grunt; I was drained of all my energy and felt like closing my eyes to take a long, long nap. Yet the pain was still sharp in my body to prevent any numbness to aid that sleep.

Robert appeared beside me in a puff of sandy dust. "Get up! He's not in control at all; he could kill you if you don't move!"

My body and brain weren't in sync; my right leg refused to loosen. "Don't worry about me…"

"But I'm worrying now!" he argued.

"Hey!" Beetlemon shouted out at BurningGreymon. "Takuya! We're your friends…"

The Beast Spirit took hold of his head with his silvery talons, hefting him over his shoulder like he was picking through a bargain bin. He threw his head back and howled once more as he fought for control.

Beetlemon landed ten feet away from me with a loud crunch of armor.

"What do you have for me, Robert?" I demanded of the Poyomon. "He's like a military assault vehicle."

"Just keep talking to him; Tommy was the same way when Bakumon used the Nightmare Syndrome on him. We have to get him to realize who we are, and who he is." _The beast in the shadow of the forest? No wonder there were all the weird noises, but this isn't the time for asking questions. _

"That's it!" Koji snarled with his D-Tector in his hand. "Beast Spirit Evolution! Kendogarurumon!" The wolf Digimon threw his head back and howled.

"We're doomed," Robert clarified. "It's hopeless now."

"What do you mean?" Beetlemon had gotten back up on his feet.

"Digimon get territorial when another big hunk of Digimon step on their turf; dogs do it, cats do it; heck, Poyomon do it too."

"So what do you suggest?" I asked.

"Well, I'm not going to stop fighting," Beetlemon flew over to where Kendogarurumon was holding his ground.

"He's dead," Robert stated matter-of-factly as he watched Beetlemon go. I forced myself to my feet as Robert addressed me. "If we're going to do this the hard way, we need more firepower than BurningGreymon. We need someone with more experience."

"Like…?" I ran for cover when BurningGreymon's head snapped in my direction. I dove behind a downed pillar; Robert followed with the precision of an army general.

"I was hoping you would have a plan, oh smart one," he made a clicking sound with his tongue. "Do I really have to think of something by _myself_?"

"I was hoping you would have thought of something earlier," I growled.

"Lupine Laser!" a blast of light sheared past Kendogarurumon's teeth way too low; BurningGreymon dodged, lashing out his tail to knock Beetlemon out of the air. The Warrior of Thunder smacked into the Beast of Light with another crunch of armor.

"Pyro Barrage!" BurningGreymon turned the golden cartridges on them; they fled for cover into the forest.

Flame licked at the trees, eating away at everything that it touched: limb, branch, root, and tree sap: the forest would burn to the ground if it continued like this.

"We have to stop him, Robert," I said as the beast vanished into the smoke. "That or protect the others."

"Howling Star!" the distant voice of Kendogarurumon sounded as trees fell to the ground under his power.

"Just be careful," Robert warned me as he floated up to my shoulder. When he was in place, I ran into the forest.

The main of the fire had been smothered by Koji's quick thinking, but evidence of a great fire remained behind him. Other than the crackling I could hear no sign of BurningGreymon. _Takuya, what have you done? _

"I wonder where Kyochrysaetosmon is," Robert wondered aloud. "I thought for sure that he was going to show up and beat the rock out of Golemon. Will Saberdramon be attracted to the smoke?"

"There's no reason for him to come here," I avoided several downed trees. "He's got better things to do."

"Uh huh," I could feel him rolling his eyes. "It sounds like he really cares about you."

"He just wants his family to be safe," I cast looks about me as I entered a hazy portion of the forest; we were nearly through to the next clearing.

"Pyro Barrage!" his voice penetrated through to my ears before the fire did.

"Takuya, no!" I ordered in the voice I would have used on a disobedient puppy.

"Don't talk back to him, run!" Robert ordered.

I made it out to the clearing; a hundred yards away was a steep dirt hill that led up to several rock formations. A lake was stretched out further behind it with forest on the other three sides of it. The earth was the color of liquid silver with boulders sticking out of it like bushes.

An angry, roaring came from somewhere close by, a sound that was hardly human.

"Someone's not a happy camper," Robert observed. My eyes fixed on half of our group.

Zoe, Tommy, Bokomon, and Neemon were further up the hill; they were safe. The other two I wasn't so sure about. Rocks shattered down the hill as BurningGreymon stomped forward; Beetlemon zoomed around and head-butted him back. The four figures ran back towards me, and I gripped my D-Tector.

_I have to help. _

"Robert, keep them safe; I'm going in," I growled. He launched himself to the ground. "Execute, Spirit Evolution! Kusoramon!"

I curled my wings inward and ran up the hill digging my talons into the soft earth. I immediately found myself placed between BurningGreymon and Tommy, who had changed direction to run _towards _the fiery out-of-control Digimon.

_I hope he knows what he's doing, _I kept myself still as Tommy took another step towards BurningGreymon.

"Takuya! Please, you've got to stop this. Fight it, Takuya! I know you don't want to hurt any of us," he relaxed his clenched fists so that his palms lay open on either side of his body. He took one last step forward. "This isn't really you; you're just out of control and afraid."

BurningGreymon glared at his with crimson eyes, jerking his head back and taking his own precautionary step back. He roared that same, in-human sound that we had heard before. A silent alarm went off in my head.

"Come on, Takuya, listen to him!" Kendogarurumon and Beetlemon were at a safer distance than Tommy and me yet they were encouraging the beast to focus. "Come on, Taky, it's us!"

"Takuya Kanbara," his name felt funny on my mouth; it was like I was trying to get around a giant roadblock with spikes sticking out of it. The next phrase drove one of the spikes into my arm. "Do you remember Rin Morti?"

He hissed at me, straightening his back till he was extended at his full height. With the swiftness of a hawk he snatched Tommy up in his hand before I could react.

"No!" Beetlemon rushed forward to be knocked out of the air by BurningGreymon's tail. Kendogarurumon turned towards me with a snarl.

"How could you?"

BurningGreymon knocked me on my back with his foot, crushing me under it. My wings were extended on the ground at an awkward angle that hurt my back; my lungs burned as air refused to return to my lungs. An agony came over me that made my blood burn in my veins, and I un-willingly De-Spirit Evolved.

"Takuya, wait a minute!" Tommy protested. "Don't you remember what happened? I learned that true courage isn't paying bullies back; it's standing up to them. Being scared is just as bad as being a bully; you have to fight it. Don't let fear control you…I know you won't hurt me if you remember we're friends."

A single tear fell from Tommy's face and hit BurningGreymon right in the eye. His eyes glowed luminescent white before turning sky blue. He set Tommy on the ground and stopped crushing me.

"Hey!" Tommy exclaimed. "You did…" He stopped speaking as BurningGreymon ran from him, smashing his head on a giant boulder till his head broke through it. The Beast of Flame crushed the other rocks in front of him with his fists; he threw his head back in finality to howl his agony before he De-Spirit Evolved to a human, reduced to tears and sobs.

I stood up and turned immediately towards Kendogarurumon as he returned to human form. I did not glare nor give a pleading glance; I had the feeling that Saberdramon harbored against every living being other than his kin. Instead I descended the hill towards Robert.

"Take care of Takuya," I instructed the Poyomon without a pause in my footsteps. Each step brought me closer and closer to the charred forest. I didn't know where I was going and honestly didn't care. Gigasmon and Kyochrysaetosmon didn't frighten me…Duskmon was another story. Yet I had to conquer that fear eventually, didn't I?

"Maybe you shouldn't…" I interrupted Robert, internally hating to interfere with his harmless words.

"I have to be alone, Robert."


	12. Ch11 Death of a PhoenixCruciChimaeramon

Finally broke my writer's block that I had obtained for a good week or two on this chapter. Have a few other projects to work on plus I've got the track season to work around...but I should be able to get another one in here during spring break. Thanks for being patient: relax, read, & review!

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Chapter 11. Death of a Phoenix; CruciChimaeramon

Each step made the burnt forest crunch under my feet, and each step meant that I was putting myself farther and farther away from the others. Fine by me. As each second went by, I was becoming happier and happier that I had committed to this deed.

_I don't need Light Boy's help to do this; even in the legend he was holding the others back. _

My plan was to make a longer detour to the Forest Terminal: I would hopefully find my Beast Spirit or at least find Ryuu. Hopefully that did not include meeting up with Kyochrysaetosmon or Duskmon. Grumblemon wasn't going to be smart enough to pick me off when I was alone; he would want to get as many Spirits as possible, and that would involve having more than one human available at a time. So I would be safe from him for a while.

I moved swiftly over a series of downed trees before continuing on in an easterly direction. Somewhere, two hundred yards away from me shielded by trees, something broke a stick under its foot. My body froze like a deer caught in headlights while my eyes rotated immediately towards the sound.

There was neither movement nor sound that followed it; had a branch fallen to the forest floor? When I listened, I could hear the wind rustling the leaves, the grinding of some trees against other trees. They were good sounds…until I heard the voices.

"Come on, hurry up," the voice was male with an irritable tone. The type of being that I knew I would dislike even before I met them.

"You don't think we're being followed, are we?" another male voice asked. This one sounded like a sidekick, the beta to the alpha.

"Nah, we've got Angemon. Who would mess with us?" he challenged openly. _Does everyone have to talk as loud as JP? _

I took a sliding step behind a tree: the voices were coming from four humans. _That _didn't make sense; were they relying on a Digimon for protection?

_We're the only ones who can turn into Digimon—but why would Ophanimon have called these ones in? _

_I chose you, _the voice purred. _I personally chose the Legendary Warriors, you know, the Light, Darkness, Sky, and Void? You were the four who were the most compatible for the Spirits. My influence was not seen by the Lady; however, I think I've made my point quite clear. I have more power than you think._

I drew my D-Tector out of my pocket out of habit, rubbing the side of the machine with minuscule movements of my thumb. What was I supposed to do? My head throbbed with the choices that the voice had presented me with.

C-C-C-Crack. That was a different sound, on the other side of the happy-sappy human children. One of them, the only girl, stopped where she was and looked from side to side.

"Katsuharu, there's something…" the leader rudely interrupted her to dismiss the idea that they were being watched.

"Just ignore it."

"There is nothing to worry about," a majestic, peaceful voice responded. It was a Digimon that stood a foot taller than Takuya with decals and ripped white abs. A metal band obscured its non-existent eyes while it bore a long yellow stick with rounded ends in its hands. Powerful wings were secured to its back: this must have been Angemon.

My D-Tector screen started flashing white and black, emitting a high-pitched whining sound. My eyes fell down to it; a display map had come up with a compass pointing in the direction of the sound. _Follow the noises? Why in the name of…?_

An evil-cackling sound filled the air, getting louder and louder till I thought for sure the thing was standing right behind me. I couldn't take the waiting any longer: I Spirit Evolved in silence. "Hehe, ha! How's that taste? Need some salt? Bone Blaster!"

I scrambled up the tree at my side and used it to evade being spotted by the humans. When I was close enough to see what was going on, I knew I had a big decision to make.

Amidst the dinkiest clearing among the trees was Kyochrysaetosmon at the base of a large, collapsed tree, gasping for breath. The attacker was a Digimon constructed of red and black bones, wielding a staff with a yellow ball affixed to the top. All the details of this construct were obscured by dust that was had risen up from the earth.

"Skull-Satamon," I half-whispered, half-whimpered. Rage transfixed my emotions; the atmosphere crackled. _He will pay for what he has done to the family of Saberdramon. _I leapt across the clearing, letting my palms just barely touch a tree branch to direct my direction before throwing myself to the ground. Power surged through my veins.

"Aaaarrragh! Luce Carentes—Light!" I fired everything I had at that beast's skull as Kyochrysaetosmon, recovering, found himself firing with me.

"Grrr-ooawwk! Atlante-Mortem!"

The golden light from the dove and the blackness of the mountain met each other to form an energy that dissipated with an explosion, shaking the ground with its malevolent power. When the light had dissipated, Skull-Satamon had his Data about him…but there was something else.

A Human Spirit and Beast Spirit were there also.

Kyochrysaetosmon reacted faster than me, leaping forward to swallow the Human Spirit. Violent shudders ripped through his body as he still lacked control. _He's just like BurningGreymon…but who?_

I focused upon the Beast Spirit and brought my D-Tector into my hands. "Beast Spirit!" The data wrapped itself about me as a voice shouted at me to stop, to take it slow.

I heard the howl before I realized it was me making the sound. Power rippled through every muscle in my body; my beak transformed into powerful jaws with huge canine teeth. My sight was not limited any longer to a single pair of eyes: a serpent also bore a pair, for he was my tail. Gigantic, pitch black wings stretched from one side of the clearing to the other were attached to my body. A fluorescent symbol of Sky was stamped on both of my sides.

The moment the Beast tried to move without my consent, I thrust all my control forward to restrict it. I was more powerful, I was strong, and I could do this, for I knew who I was. Didn't I?

Kyochrysaetosmon stood at the other end of the clearing with total control of the Beast Spirit; he wasn't so terrifying anymore. He did something that I did not intend: he De-Spirit Evolved.

A mere human stood in the clearing now with those other four humans coming closer, their guardian closing in from the sky. He did not know what he would be facing.

"Bone Blaster!" the voice shrieked. The yellow blast punched through me while the snake whipped its head around.

My whole body pivoted to face the new threat with rage fueling the chemicals in my body. The symbol for Sky ignited in gold. "Skull-Satamon," my voice rumbled in my throat like thunder.

There were two of them now: we had destroyed one of them. They came in groups of three, huh? I could handle that.

"Are you really who I think you are?" Kyochrysaetosmon demanded of me; he was not angry nor conceited, for he was merely confused. "I don't remember…"

"Help me, and I will tell you anything you want to know," I answered.

"Hold on here," Angemon stepped between the Skull-Satamon and me. "It would be unwise to brood hate between…"

"Excuse me, sonny," one of the Skull-Satamon interrupted, raising his staff. "But those beasts took the Data of my brother; now we stick together, right? You're on our side."

"Get out of the way," Kyochrysaetosmon rumbled, stepping up to my side. The snake started to hiss.

"They are for Cherubimon," I indicted. "They have wronged…"

"Angemon, don't listen to them!" Katsuharu called from just within the trees. "If they were peaceful, they wouldn't want to attack those guys. Just look at them—they don't look friendly at all!"

_What am I supposed to…?_

Agony screamed through my feet up my ankles to my knees till it met my spine. My jaws gaped with my head thrown back in a silent scream as the snake bents its head back. My power drained as the voice grew strong.

_Now that's more like it, isn't it? You're powerless. Move aside, human scum._

_No!_

"Rin!" Kyochrysaetosmon _did _recognize me, but I wasn't in control. I shook my head trying to shake the horrible feeling away; I gave a single command to the snake: _fire_.

The snake's jaws opened to release a jet stream of flame to bathe my back and shoulders in fire. The heat did not bother me, but it hurt the being within my skull. He backed off, and the snake closed its maw to be ready for a hotter, more effective flame against the Skull-Satamon.

"Out of the way," I grunted as the flame licked at my skin, rolling off my body as I shook like a dog. "In the name of Sky and Void, I say again. _Back off_."

He hesitated upon hearing those words. The Skull-Satamon brothers liked it even more than him. "Is that so? Come, brother, we shall reap great benefits from our master if we salvage that. Think of all the precious Data! Out of the way, Angemon. Bone Blaster!"

They fired a double round of the attack. I knocked the Digimon out of the way with my huge skull and threw my front feet to the ground to give the snake clearance, letting go a jet stream of flame. The Skull-Satamon snarled and used their staffs to waive off the heat.

"My turn," Kyochrysaetosmon pounded his tail on the ground. "Ankylos Club!" He charged and swung his tail as a baseball player would swing a bat. He connected his tail with the two Digimon, throwing them up in the air…for the huge feet of Saberdramon to catch their skulls in his talons.

"You're the guys who like darkness, right?" he shouted, throwing them up into the air. He maneuvered around and executed an attack with great speed. "Mach _Shadow_!" The black flames rushed outward in the shape of his body, slamming into the Skull-Satamon.

They crashed back down to earth somewhere nearby in the forest; Saberdramon lowered himself into the clearing while Angemon warily backed off to stand guard in front of the four children.

"Saberdramon," I spoke the name with gratitude. "How many Skull-Satamon exist besides the two that linger here?"

"It is hard to say, fledgling," he must have recognized the symbol on my side, for he did not question the being within the form of the Beast Spirit. "There were three brothers, but there may have been more. Those two…I ask you to leave them to me." He turned to address Angemon. "Servant of the Celestial Digimon, you will not challenge my fledgling daughter again."

_His daughter?_ The words were so touching, full of care from within one who harbored much hate.

"I have your back on that," Kyochrysaetosmon growled. I exchanged looks with him…he seemed so familiar…

"Void," I repeated again under my breath, and I took a longer look. I _knew _him. Yet I said nothing in the presence of the humans who stood behind Angemon and Katsuharu. Without another word I turned my back on the humans. My wings flared out from my sides.

"Hey!" Katsuharu protested; he had a hold of this Angemon somehow, and he was trying harder and harder to convince him. The snake's head pivoted to give me sight to this conversation. "What did they ever do to you? Angemon, are you really going to let them get away with that?" The Digimon did not answer; instead, he turned towards Saberdramon.

"I suggest you leave."

"Back off," Kyochrysaetosmon thundered another warning, his club-like tail twitching.

"I don't like this forest anyways," Saberdramon offered as his defense, watching Angemon carefully. "Cold Forest? I suggest that you watch your back a little closer now; they call it CruciChimaeramon, I believe."

I pivoted my body so that one of my main eyes were focused on his. "Be careful."

He raised his wings and took one huge flap from them to propel himself up into the air.

"Bone Blaster!"

Saberdramon was faster than me; those attacks were meant to paralyze me. Yet instead he took them upon himself, howling in agony while my own body whipped around, propelled by my black wings, claws digging into the earth. But I was too late.

I didn't even get to say good-bye when he turned into Data. Time didn't even slow down for me as Sabedramon's tear-filled eye rested upon me before he was just…gone. His Digi-Egg was gone for the Village of Beginnings—his Data was all that was left. A pure, righteous wrath fell into my lap like a burning coal that transfixed me. But I couldn't take revenge upon him, for he had no idea what he was doing. He hadn't known what was going on between Saberdramon and the Skull-Satamon, had he?

But those Skull-Satamon had. I inhaled the Data of Saberdramon through the snake's mouth before releasing it back into the Digital World; they would take none of it today.

"Bone Blaster!" the attack came out of the forest and burned into my face. I reared up on my back legs with a howl, slamming my front feet down as the snake opened wide its jaws to display huge fangs. My jaws opened wide as my own fangs grew twice their size. The Skull-Satamon came out of the clearing right behind Angemon. "Out of the way, Angel," one of them sneered. "Thanks for all the assistance."

"What? But he…" Katsuharu backed for where the other humans were. Angemon raised his bat-like staff at the Digimon.

"For that, you shall pay."

"_Get out of my way_!" Kyochrysaetosmon roared, charging forward while wielding his club. "Ankylos Club!"

This time the Skull-Satamon leapt over the coming tail. Before one could fire in my ally's face, I launched my body forward and called forth the darkness that lingered in the shadows and in my body. "Black Teeth!"

With his leg in the snake's mouth and his arm in my mouth, I hefted him over my back. I tossed him in the middle of the clearing and turned the snake's open maw on him, casting down my front feet as the jet stream of blue fire screamed down upon him.

"Grrr-oooawk! Atlante-Mortem!" Kyochrysaetosmon bellowed. From a distance I saw the devastation brought upon an opponent using this attack. At first all I could see was a black outline of a rock high in the air, but as the attack progressed, the blackness descended down upon the Skull-Satamon with the weight crushing him. Then, as if that weren't enough, the mountain would implode on itself to send black energy in all directions. The ash harmlessly brushed me like snow.

All that was left was Data. My eyes clarified that the humans had fled into the forest with Angemon; as cowardly as it was, they were smart to stay out of our way. I nodded to Kyochrysaetosmon. "Slide Evolution! Aetherbaitomon!" The bond between us tightened. How had this come to pass? "Fractal Code Digitize…how's that for digging a grave? What about you?"

We turned to find that the other Skull-Satamon had fled. I stared into the forest for a long, long time before I De-Spirit Evolved. I examined my arms, pushing up the sleeves of my jacket. Bruises of all sizes lined me like spots on a leopard; the pain faded in and out within my skull.

* * *

"Rin, I'm so sorry," Ryuu's voice strained. He was sitting on the ground, wincing in pain. "I should have been paying more attention to Angemon; that kid egged him on, and I know he would have backed off if I had been…"

"It's not your fault," I interrupted. Silence flooded the space between us. I walked slowly over to him and sat down next to him. Trying to ignore the pain, I asked him a different question. "What happened to you?"

"I landed in the forest…I found my Beast Spirit, but I got attacked by three of those Skull-Satamon. They hammered and hammered away till I passed out; I woke up before they could take the Beast Spirit too. The damage had already been done by then; I couldn't De-Spirit Evolve. I tried and tried, I tried making that Skull-Satamon fight with me, but he gave me the slip. I didn't have the control that I should have had. I should have been able to De-Spirit Evolve even without my Human Spirit, but…It was the most horrible feeling…that I've ever experienced. The feeling that even if I had control, I wouldn't be able to escape myself, the form that I was in. Every Digimon I approached for help turned and fled from me: it made me angry. I could hear the voice hissing in my head, but he wouldn't lead me to you.

"I found you once, but I was able to control myself in order to stay away. When that big Digimon came after you by the fortune tellers and all them, I used all my strength to stay away. If the others were to have seen me, they probably would have beaten the living crap out of me. So I guess I owe you thanks for beating that first Skull-Satamon with me. They're tougher than they look."

"I should have known when I saw you; Takuya couldn't control his Beast Spirit when he first got it either," I frowned. "The voice, for a moment, he started to take over when I was distracted. I managed to fight him off…but why my Beast Spirit?"

"I don't know," he admitted. He looked over his shoulder nervously before locking eyes with me. A silent understanding passed between us: those humans were not to be spoken about. Hopefully they got kicked onto a Trailmon somewhere and would go home. "Where are the others?"

"I uh…I don't know," I admitted under my breath, still hurting.

"Mm," he answered, watching me as I got up and took a few steps away from him. "I am sorry, Rin. Really."

"I know," I folded my arms to my chest, staring in to the trees. I didn't want to have to go back to face Koji again. My thoughts lingered for a moment on the Village of Beginnings. Would Saberdramon's son be alright? He would have to be; Swanmon would protect him. A single tear rolled down my cheek before I brushed it away.

I turned to face Ryuu, for I refused to cry in his presence. I still had him, and I had Robert. Saberdramon believed in me, in us. I wasn't going to fail, but I was not going to do this task for the others. It was for Saberdramon, Robert, and Ryuu. _For the dead that they may be honored. _

"We have to get to the Forest Terminal," I said finally. "The others are probably already there."

"Yeah, we can fly there," he agreed while forcing himself to his feet. He shuddered once. "As long as I don't have to use my Beast Spirit for a _long _time from now, I think I'll be okay."

I found myself smiling; I had missed him.

We Spirit-Evolved and flew over the trees. In the distance we could see some sort of clearing before the elevation began to rise with more and more trees. As we had gone on, I had told Ryuu all that had gone on between me and the others—adding in the parts about Duskmon.

"Who did you tell about Duskmon?" he asked suddenly. He had been silent for a long time, once and a while nodding to agree with something I had mentioned.

"Robert," I responded automatically. "I mentioned the name to Koji: never said anything other than that he was in the Legend and that Duskmon wanted to murder me."

"Mention no more to him, I should think," he looked away for a moment down at the trees. "From how he seems to be acting and his general interests, I don't think you should worry him. I don't think he would ever tell anyone—Digimon or human, about stuff like that. I hate keeping secrets, so it's not like I purposely want to keep the others…uninformed. I just don't know at this point."

"Like my Beast Spirit," I suggested wryly. If I wasn't sure how the voice was going to do to it, should I use it? Would it terrify the others certainly like it seemed to frighten the other humans?

"No, no, of course you can use it and talk about it. What are you getting at?" he snorted. Was it possible to make that sound as Aetherbaitomon?

"Well…" He interrupted me.

"Hey, you weren't scared of Kyochrysaetosmon, were you?"

"No…only of your attacks," I admitted. He rolled his eyes.

"It was Robert, wasn't it? For your knowledge, I will tell you that it _does _hurt to use that attack. That's why I almost always moan before I use Atlante-Mortem; it takes a lot out of a guy." _That _made me laugh. "What?"

I shook my head as my eyes slid to the left; the trees kept shaking as though something were scurrying up them. Adjusting my wings, I let the wind bring me closer. One second I was flying; the next a big, tyrant Digimon's metal head bashed into me, knocking me down into the forest.

"Ow! Ow! OW!" I crashed through several branches, smashed my head into a tree trunk, and, when I finally reached the ground, I landed on my right wing. "Dang it."

"Hey! Who's there?" the voice of Neemon reached my ears.

"What the heck was that?" I demanded of him. "What hit me?"

"BurningGreymon," Robert skirted across the dirt, bumping into my sore foot. "The others got stuck in a mud hole; Tommy and I were trying to get 'em out. He went to find some stronger vines."

"Gigasmon is here," I stiffened, standing up and flaring my wings.

"He's of no concern to us right now; help me free the others." I grimaced, consenting.

I strode over to where the others were stuck in mud up to their waists. Upon my sudden appearance, most of them gave me the 'Wow! You're here to save us!' look. I refused to set my eyes anywhere near Koji.

"How long have you guys been here?" I asked.

"Ten minutes, probably less," Bokomon shrugged it off. "But it would be nice to get out now."

I flapped my wings and, grasping an arm in each foot's talons, I hefted Bokomon and Neemon out first, then JP, and finally Koji. My Human Spirit was tired and felt virtually useless; I had never been this tired before...

An explosion rocked the other side of the forest; the earth shuddered briefly before falling still. The trees did not stir.

"Come on," the others, along with Robert, took off running towards the sound. Koji hesitated, watching me.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Koji demanded of me when the others had disappeared from sight. "Running off and coming back, getting up in the face of a Beast Spirit? Who do you think does stupid things like that? We have to protect the others—you can't afford to be cowardly in this world."

I did not respond at first. _Separating myself from the others had benefits and issues in itself; I got my Beast Spirit from it though. Yet…is he right? Can I be strong enough to endure being with them? _

"Alright," I answered, hiding my emotion in the Spirit.

Aetherbaitomon entered the clearing through the trees to make a much more graceful landing than I had accomplished. He flared his black wings, turning his head towards me.

"Koji," he nodded. Then his eyes zeroed in on mine: the coast was clear.

We De-Spirit Evolved and stepped up to each other.

"Grumblemon's Beast Spirit was taken…but he did manage to get away. He still has Zoe's Spirit; he was pretty ticked to see me still hanging around."

"He'll be back after he licks his wounds," I found my eyes drawn to the side as Koji slowly moved towards us.

In the end the three of us were in a triangular formation watching each other's faces. Waiting for someone to crack first.

Ryuu sucked in a deep breath and addressed Koji and me. "Look, no matter what personal problems or people-problems that we have, we _are _entitled as Legendary Warriors. I'll have your backs—but you two have to take it down a notch."

I kept silent and met Ryuu's gaze once with a stiffened truce before vacating the forest.

* * *

The others were gathered on the outskirts of a field with a crater scenically placed in the earth; I didn't bother to ask why. Immediately Takuya's eyes zeroed in on me, and I internally cursed when he sprinted right up to me.

"You missed my epic win!" he complained, contradicting his words by throwing an arm round my shoulders. "But don't worry, if you stick around real close, maybe you'll get to see some more action."

"Uh, yeah…if you think so," I answered mildly. Then he examined my face a little closer.

"Something wrong?" he removed his arm and interlocked his fingers behind his skull in his oh-so-nonchalant way of saying, 'you're gonna tell me exactly what happened, why, and the name of the guy so I can squash him like a bug.' If Takuya could possibly process all that in his melon at a time, that is.

"Just tired," I lied. "We should try to get to the Forest Terminal; aren't we behind schedule?"

"Don't you start talking crazy," JP interrupted, putting his hands on his hips. "You just got back! Now you want us to go marching off…"

"What are you getting at?" Zoe demanded. Her voice was still strained from not recovering her Spirit. "We're so close too."

"All aboard!" Robert hollered, skirting the edge of the crater to peer inside. "Gonna need a lot of Gotsumon to fill that one up."

"You're going the wrong way," Tommy protested. Robert pivoted slightly to examine the angle of the sun in the sky.

"I suppose so," he sighed. "But I'm the leader!"

Koji and Ryuu vacated the trees as the group passed them; Ryuu automatically jogged to catch up to me. "You again!" I could hear Takuya's eye balls squinting at the back of my head suspiciously. "Is that why you left? To pick up stragglers?"

"I don't _straggle_; 'sides, I picked up a fancy with Mister Kyochrysaetosmon, Beast Spirit of Void," Ryuu took this time to boast.

"Him too? I hope I'm next!" JP squeaked emphatically. _On my list of thanks for today, I am ever so glad that I don't regularly get to see their faces when they use weird voices._

_That must be the only thing that we have ever agreed on, _the voice grunted. I flinched, knocking my elbow into Ryuu.

"Ow," he responded, casting me death stare.

"_That_ one was on accident, compared to the others that you have coming," I informed him. The others were behind us, chatting about Spirits and brooding about Ryuu's mystifying re-appearance; I could hear nothing from the mouth of Minamoto.

"Uh huh." He took a half-step to the left to pluck a rather large berry from the brush.

"Now don't you eat those!" Bokomon scolded. "Those will give you horrible indigestion."

"Wasn't planning on it," he tossed it up in the air before chucking it at Robert.

The Poyomon faltered in his tune before clearing his throat to announce his clear annoyance without once turning round to face the thrower. It took him a while to recover, but he resumed his humming louder than before.

_Aren't you the least bit interested in what I have to offer? _He pressed once more. I fixed my eyes upon Robert and tried to ignore him, not answering. _You won't have any more chances; the pain will consume you. No one will be able to save you…unless you listen to what I say._

I closed my eyes briefly before opening them, feeling the breeze that wafted through the trees and tasting it on my tongue. The soft earth beneath my feet cushioned my bones. Would I give all that up? The boy standing at my side ready to transform his data just to cover me and the Poyomon who always treated me with honor and respect.

_I will not bow, I will not break; I will shut the world away. I will not fall, I will not fade; I will take your breath away. And I'll survive: paranoid, I have lost the will to change, and I am not proud: cold-blooded, fake. I will shut the world away._ With that, he receded into the crevices of my mind without another word to brood on the case that I had clearly presented. He would be back all right.

And I would be ready for him.


	13. Chapter 12 Choices and Sentences of Fate

Chapter 12

As much as I didn't like traveling with our group of misfits once again, I really didn't like showing up at the foggy Forest Terminal. Every inch closer to this place gave me the creeps; my headache worsened with it. Perhaps the voice was vexed.

"Well, there's the sign," Takuya motioned towards it. The tracks ran next to it while a run-down shack was conveniently placed twenty yards from it. Nearby the hills were marked with foliage and trees while the valley through which we walked was flat and cool; further into the fog somewhere would be the station itself.

Ryuu sighed impatiently; Robert sat grumpily on my look-alike's shoulder.

"Isn't there supposed to be a Trailmon here?" Koji hinted, disappointed. It was the first sentence that he had spoken in a long time; the last time had been when Robert conveniently 'kicked' a pinecone upside his head.

"Yeah, really," Zoe pressed upon the matter; Takuya chiseled her emotion away with a stammer.

"Well…maybe they're on their way back right now." His statement was probably doubtful. Deep down I knew that we had not be destined to come here to just leave. "Or, uh, you know…They could be, uh…oh man…"

"Hey, who cares about a Trailmon?" JP interjected, turning towards the shack with the utmost joy. "There's a restaurant here!"

Sure enough, the front side of the shack was a small inner room where a long countertop allowed for quick eating, and a sign displayed the name of the pit stop, too faded for me to read. Everyone wandered without question right up to it because after all, _food _is a magic word that attracts people big and small.

I hung in the back to speak with Ryuu. "Are you getting weird feelings about being here?"

Robert cackled, jumping to conclusions. "Are you scared of foggy places?"

"Are you?" I countered. "And I wasn't asking for you to answer my question."

"You're welcome," he gave me a professional smile before launching himself onto Koji's shoulder, peering at the peacock Digimon that was addressing the front of the group. "Does it come in purple?"

"I'm not sure," Ryuu kept his voice low, turning towards me so that his answer wouldn't be heard by the others. "Everywhere I turn I feel like there's some Skull-Satamon that's gonna jump me and smite me like a bug with its staff. Watch my back for me just in case."

Just mentioning the word Skull-Satamon set my veins in a vat of boiling oil; if I ever got my hands on them for what they had done...

"No worries," I answered without a hint of malice.

"Did you hear that, Perry? This meal's free!" Takuya caught my arm and pulled me up to the counter to watch the Digimon prepare the food. "Look how talented he is, too!"

I heard Ryuu chuckle at the mindless behavior somewhere behind me, refusing to sit down right away. "If you were hungry and I was behind that counter, I'd bet my bottom dollar that you would be saying that to me."

"In your dreams," JP defended himself. "I wouldn't trust you with a bag of bread and a bottle of ketchup!"

"I'm touched by your generosity."

The peacock whipped up his 'yolk surprise': a mix of teriyaki noodles, soy sauce, a hint of cracker crumbs, and egg yolk splattered on the top of it all. Everyone about me seemed to be drooling as he announced, "All done, dig in."

"Hail to the chef!" most of the group shouted. Robert flopped onto the counter top and gave the peacock a regal bow before viciously attacking his bowl.

I picked through the egg yolk to eat the noodles and almost had it in my mouth when the others gave a cry of horror at the taste of the substance in their bowls. Robert sucked his bowl dry before looking up in surprise at them.

"We respectfully decline your offer of food," Bokomon told the peacock with as much dignity as he could muster.

"I can't feel my tongue anymore," Neemon mourned.

Miffed, the peacock glared at them while I kept chewing, just in case it was the last meal that I ever ate again. "All right, all right, what's the big idea here? I just can't believe that nearly all of you are going to turn down free food!" Then he turned towards Ryuu, Robert and I. "You just keep on eating; there's no rush at all."

He seriously could use a psychiatrist.

"That was food?" Zoe dismissed the very idea of it.

"I'm insulted," the peacock continued, hoping to prove that he really was a generous guy.

"I'm gonna be sick," Takuya rumbled. He gave me a spiteful stare before turning up his nose. "And don't worry, they'll probably start gagging before they get out the door."

"Fine. Get out of here, you're bugging me. Get out of here and go to the Forest Terminal. They say no one has ever returned from there," the peacock locked eyes with him.

Silence fell on everyone only broken when Robert jumped into Takuya's bowl of yolk surprise. "I have a date with some tasty noodles…stop staring at me!" He wailed when Takuya crossed his arms.

"Yeah, well, we'll just take our chances. I doubt the Forest Terminal will be worse than this food." Simultaneously the non-eaters gave a humph of agreement and looked away from the server.

"Don't listen to them," Ryuu responded, mixing the egg yolk in his bowl till it was smothered over the noodles. "In three days when they're about to die from starvation, they'll wish that they had eaten here like the rest of us."

The peacock didn't seem to hear him because he burst into tears. "Aw, come on guys, I was just trying to be nice, that's all."

Takuya snorted. "Being nice has nothing to do with cooking, and rumors don't matter to us because we've already been told that we have to go to the Forest Terminal."

At the disappointment of Robert, everyone got up to leave. It was a given: anyone who stayed would be willingly left behind.

Koji went to the front without a moment's hesitation, ready to enter the thickening, looming fog. "Let's go." He didn't give a glance back as he shifted through the clouds. Ryuu and I followed with Robert perched on my shoulder.

"Okay," Takuya whimpered, closely followed by the most fearful of the group.

"I don't suppose that a certain specific voice told you what we were supposed to do here?" Robert questioned me.

"No, but I have a feeling it's gonna get worse." I brushed the side of my forehead self-consciously. "I'm getting a really bad feeling about being here."

"Because of the fog, right?" Ryuu grinned. "We have a big, bad wolf with us. How bad could it be?"

"Don't make me come back there," Koji warned. I exchanged a grin with Ryuu before continuing in silence behind the Warrior of Light.

We came upon the station, covered in fog, but there was no one there.

"This place is empty too," Koji growled in disappointment.

"Yeah, and just a _little _creepy," Zoe added her discomfort to the mix.

"Stay close, we don't want to lose anyone, now would we?" Ryuu jumped on top of the platform and studied it. "The dirt is settled down: no one has been here for at least a month."

"Keep up, Master Tracker," Robert glanced at my face. "Nothing?"

"Nothing," I repeated.

"Keep your eyes peeled guys," Takuya instructed, having moved to the front by Koji.

"For what?" JP asked. "There's nothing here but fog."

Ryuu dropped in step next to me with a chuckle fading from his surface; a protective nature extended outward from him towards me. In a way, it was fitting to know that he was the Warrior of Aether, ready to beat the tar out of anyone who opposed us.

The ground rose up towards the base of a gigantic tree. As we neared it, the base of it opened up into an entrance. Within the tree was a stairwell that ascended in a spiral constructed of stone. JP fretted and fretted back behind us.

"What if there isn't anyone here? What if they're all ghosts?"

That unnerved everyone except Robert. "The only ghosts in the Digital World, or the closest thing to 'em, is Poyomon," he proclaimed. "Hard to believe, right?"

"How do you know if you've never seen one?" Tommy questioned him, but Robert was too confident to persuade him otherwise. He started humming to drown out the idiocy that seemed to resound off his tiny eardrums every couple of minutes.

The path opened up to a large tree branch whose limb had been split into large steps to continue the ascent. The fog was as thick as paint up here.

"I guess we have no choice but to keep on walking," Takuya said.

"Man, this world sure loves walking," JP grumbled. I considered responding but didn't. A memory crossed my path.

"_Perry, dear? Would you go out and get some groceries? I made you a list," Mom handed it to me. I nodded, happy to assist her. "I'm going to pick up a few things from your aunt, from the party last week." _

_Dad sat at the table burying his face in a newspaper so I didn't disturb him. Out the back door I went and out running the several blocks to the local market where tons of people bustled back and forth to find what they needed._

_It took me about twenty minutes to complete the task; I even startled my father upon my quick return._

"_You really ought to take your time when you go somewhere like that. Rushing and running, you could knock into someone and get in trouble."_

"_Dad, I…"_

"_I'm not going to discuss this anymore."_

I came out of my reverie when we approached a fork in the path: one led straight, the other led to the right.

"Now what?" Takuya put his hands on his hips as he studied our dilemma.

A sound came from Tommy's D-Tector; he held it up to examine the screen and pointed to the path on the right. "It's that way."

When we hit a dead end, our fearless leader's patience level dropped. "Are you sure it wasn't the other way?"

This time JP's D-Tector made a sound, and upon him taking it out, the trees bent up out of our way.

"And for my next trick…" JP hung deep suspense in his words but never finished where he was going.

I stared for a moment at the trees, not liking where this was going. Every step was a puzzle that could only be fixed by D-Tectors?

_Your aptitude for discovering hidden things must be really annoying, _the voice noted. I flinched as the others moved past me. _However sad it may be, it is not as sad as the position seated between you and me._

_Get out, _I hissed through gritted teeth. Robert started humming louder as if on a cue, and that soothed away some of the agony.

We came to another stop due to the fog; it was too thick for me to see Takuya and Koji in front of me. Robert blended in unnaturally well with the fluffy cloud that had descended in our wake.

"Maybe my D-Tector is good for something too," Zoe held the machine up, and with a gust of wind, the fog was blown away.

Below us was a great valley of trees that were luminescent shades of green while out in front was a giant castle of blue and purple crystal. The tops were the blue portions sharpened to a tip with the bases being purple, sometimes golden. It was a magnificent sight even if it was moderately hidden behind the giant trees. The voice left at this time without a word, and I could feel the rage that it imbued upon the sight before us: I wondered why.

We drew in front of the castle in a matter of minutes: the size of it was the most outrageous thing about it. It was built as though the crystal had formed here and been shaped this way hundreds and hundreds of years ago. A crystal wall ten feet or so high guarded the construction.

"It's beautiful," Tommy admired it.

"That doesn't mean it's not dangerous," Koji warned; next to me, Ryuu's face hardened.

"What if this is where the person who built the D-Tectors lives? He sent a message for us to come here."

"That still doesn't mean that it's safe…" Koji's D-Tector alerted us with a glow of white light, and the gates opened up for us.

"Well, at least they're polite, I guess," Takuya headed the front of the group up until we reached the crystal door.

"Yeah, that or eager to lure us in there," JP whimpered at the back of the group.

"If there is someone in there, be careful of your words," Ryuu stepped forward. "Don't tell them anything until we know whose side they are on."

"I say we go inside," Zoe said, putting her hands on her hips. "How bad can it be? Sleeping Beauty used to live in a castle in the forest."

"Yeah," Koji snorted. "So did the Wicked Witch."

"I don't need to re-live the Wizard of Oz _again_," Ryuu groaned, abandoning most of his former caution. "Let's go already."

"Besides, we'll never find out what's in there if we don't go in," Tommy's point proved fatal. We gathered around the door to the castle.

Takuya knocked on the door twice, but no one seemed to answer. Anxious, I took hold of my D-Tector. Kusoramon and CruciChimaeramon flashed on and off the screen, waiting.

"Maybe no one lives here," Tommy guessed.

"Maybe you should open up a wishful thinking store, Tommy," Takuya turned slightly. His D-Tector flashed red, and the door was opened.

"Get back, Cherubimon scum!" a short, white-coated wizard pointed his snowflake wand at us. His cape was white in the back but blue in the front with angry little faces printed on it. His hair was thatched blonde under a hat that was probably dated from a previous Halloween. His angry eyes infused a deep hatred towards us without even knowing who we were.

Ryuu immediately moved to the front just to the left of the Takuya, bearing his D-Tector in hand.

"Isn't that Wizardmon?" Takuya took a step back away from the wand.

"But he's a different color," Tommy noted from the back by JP; needless to say, I didn't recognize the Digimon.

"And meaner!" JP added.

"We can beat him, just like we beat Gigasmon," Takuya insisted with his fist tightened.

"Gigasmon?" the wizard repeated, like the word irritated him. "But he's one of Cherubimon's goons." Takuya confirmed that. "So you're not allies with Cherubimon?"

"He doesn't look like an ally to Cherubimon either," Robert squinted at Takuya. "Unless he's wearing a disguise."

"Are you kidding?" Zoe retorted.

Koji took a protective step forward just as Ryuu had done. "Why don't you put that wand down, okay? We're all on the same side, isn't that obvious?"

The wizard reluctantly lowered his wand. "This is what comes from fighting too much: everyone seems to be an enemy. I apologize, friends. How did you find this place?"

"We got a message that told us all to come to the Forest Terminal," Takuya answered. "There was no one there, and when we continued walking, we ended up here on your doorstep."

The wizard blinked his big, blue eyes. "A message? Could it be? My solitude has driven common courtesy from me, I apologize. My name is Sorcerymon, please come in. I have something important to show you."

With no further ado, he turned around and receded into the crystal castle. Everyone followed, but I took up the back again. The crystal doors closed shut behind us.

He led us through a long hallway with crystals dangling like chandeliers above our heads. A silent understanding passed between Ryuu, Koji, Takuya, and me. If at any time there was danger, we would take control of the operation at once.

"Where are you taking us anyway?" Koji questioned our chauffer.

"To meet someone," Sorcerymon answered.

"I'll bet it's a trap…"

"You think _everything _is a trap," Tommy reminded him.

"Caution is wise, friends, but only within reason," Sorcerymon informed us, turning slightly towards us. We had come to the entrance of a huge, cavernous room. "This is no trap; this is a prophecy."

"I don't believe in magic," Ryuu growled under his breath.

The floor was paved like glass, yet somehow we stood on it as if it were earth. Four large pillars held up the great ceiling; in the middle of the ceiling was a being sealed within a crystal.

"Allow me to introduce our salvation: Seraphimon."

I cast my eyes toward the wizard. "Our salvation doesn't appear to be breathing much these days."

"Are we supposed to even know who that is?" Zoe asked.

_Seraphimon, _the voice snarled. I flinched, and Sorcerymon watched me with cautious eyes.

"Seraphimon was one of the three Celestial Digimon who used to rule this world." He continued to stare at us, like we were supposed to do something great and important. If he was a Celestial Digimon, why did he seal himself up? Was he a coward, afraid to fight off the ones who had meddling with us for the past several weeks?

"So…what are we supposed to do?" Takuya stared up at the Digimon.

"That crystal looks pretty strong," Koji added. "Even if we were to break it, how do we know that Seraphimon wouldn't get hurt in the process?"

"There is a prophecy," Sorcerymon reminded us.

"Let your light shine as one," a loud, feminine voice reverberated in the room; she was the same one who had spoken to us through our D-Tectors.

"That was Lady Ophanimon!" Sorcerymon looked back and forth in excitement.

_How pathetic, _the voice sneered again. _Ophanimon has always cared for Digimon, protected them with her life; her faults lie within that crutch. _

_Stop this: get out of my head right now, or I'll… _My threat fell short out of my mouth.

_Do what? _He scoffed. _I grow stronger and stronger each day, and you can feel it. I feel it. The tide is about to turn, Morti, whether you like it or not. _

He vanished in a sting of pain that further enhanced my anxiety of being in this place. _We're not safe anymore. Danger is on its way._

"It's all falling into place," Sorcerymon closed his eyes. "I brought you here because the prophecy said that one day, a group of wayward humans would free Seraphimon."

"Typical humans get to do everything," Bokomon crossed his arms in a pout. "When is my turn?"

"How about next week?" Neemon squeaked, but he was swiftly ignored.

"So what did she mean?" Koji brooded with hand in one of his pockets.

"Maybe it has something to do with our D-Tectors," Zoe suggested; immediately JP and she stared down at the little machines in their hands.

In that instant the D-Tectors burst into a white light that radiated a beam of powerful energy. On Takuya's mark, all the DigiDestined focused the beams of light on Seraphimon trapped in the crystal: the crystal vaporized in shards of light and electricity before revealing the Celestial Digimon, who floated down onto the floor.

"Welcome back, Lord Seraphimon!" Sorcerymon bowed with reverence.

The Digimon was just taller than the average human male and clad in thick sheets of shiny steel armor. Ten yellow wings came out from his back with his head shielded by a blue helmet. He had no eyes to speak of but a four pointed star was placed in the front of his helmet. Wings came out from the sides of his helmet like ears. All in all, he was a regal-looking Digimon.

"It's good to be back, faithful servant," Seraphimon's deep, stately voice greeted him. "You have done well. Sorcerymon, tell me, there's so little I remember."

"My Lord, when your defeat seemed imminent, Lady Ophanimon was able to get you away to safety. She sealed you away from danger so that you could be revived after the trouble had passed."

"Ophanimon, that's right! Is she all right? Has she been harmed?" his voice at this time, unless my thoughts betrayed me, declared an imposing crush on her. "Is she here?"

"The truth is awful unpleasant, I'm afraid," Sorcerymon looked down at the floor. "No one knows where she is, but those humans have been in contact with her. So all is not lost."

"_These _humans? But they're only children," Seraphimon disproved of us, and my temper flared.

"Yes," Bokomon defended us. "But they are also Legendary Warriors, and if not for them, you would still be stuck to the ceiling."

"How ungrateful," Robert sniffed from his position on my shoulder.

"Legendary Warriors? Impressive," the Celestial Digimon noted with some reverence to our titles. Yet I figured that our titles wouldn't be getting us very far here.

"Hey, just listen," Takuya commanded his attention, ticked. "We've been lead all over getting the tar kicked out of us, and we don't even know why we were let into this crazy world!"

"Yeah, someone owes us some answers," Zoe added.

Koji gestured to Seraphimon. "And I think you're that someone. So tell us what is going on, right now."

"Uh, please?" Tommy piped up.

"Very well, brave ones, I shall tell you," Seraphimon relented. "The story begins long ago when human Digimon and beast Digimon warred against one another. Their battle laid waste to the Digital world, befouling what once lay beautiful. Then Lucemon appeared and put an end to the fighting; for a time he ruled in peace, but soon he was corrupted by his own power." The word Lucemon put a rock into my stomach; he was like any militarist dictator in the Human World that had gone sour in a matter of months.

"My, this story sure sounds familiar," Bokomon humphed.

"Bokomon!" everyone hissed, wanting to hear.

"What?" he objected.

"The Ten Legendary Warriors arose to free the oppressed and weary Digimon; they fought valiantly, and after a fierce struggle, they were able to defeat the tyrannical Lucemon. After peace was restored to the Digital World, champions were chosen to protect that peace: Cherubimon, Ophanimon, and I. But as before, our time of harmony was short lived. Cherubimon wanted to control the Digital World by himself, and so attacked me. You know the rest of the story thanks to Sorcerymon. Ophanimon brought me here where I have slumbered and regained my strength until I was awoken by you, Legendary Warriors."

"Luckily, you came when we needed Seraphimon most. The Digital World is in a crisis, as you can see," Sorcerymon extended his wand, and a projection of the Digital World appeared.

"Man, the Digital World looks like Swiss cheese," Takuya frowned, "it's gonna take a lot of Data to fill all the holes."

"The future looks even bleaker; Cherubimon has sent his minions to destroy it."

"This even more serious than I imagined; you must find Ophanimon at once!" Seraphimon ordered him.

"Yes, my lord," Sorcerymon agreed. "Your combined might can surely defeat Cherubimon, and of course you'll have my help as well. While you slept, I felt that I have too, and I have dreamt only of fighting at your side against that evil creature."

"Dear brave Sorcerymon, you are a true friend. Thank you. Your courage gives me strength."

"I am as you have taught me."

Seraphimon turned to address us. "I must thank you for your courage. All would be lost if not for you, but now I must ask that you do one more favor for me. Before the fighting begins, go back to your own world. Your task is done, and it's too dangerous for you to stay."

Shocked, protests came up from those around me; again rage powered through me.

"But we're Legendary Warriors," Takuya protested.

"Yeah, we can't just walk away now!" Zoe insisted again.

"Just try and make us," Ryuu snarled with poisonous contempt. "No matter what comes at us, we're not leaving because _you_ think that you can handle this by yourself."

An explosion of crystal on the far side of the room made my head snap up; Grumblemon and three other Digimon had followed us here. It had been a trap all along.

"Good! Whole brat brigade here," Grumblemon growled. His eyes were wild; he really wanted his Beast Spirit back, didn't he?

"About time you showed up; I never got the chance to thank you for knocking me clear off a mountain," Ryuu stepped up next to me ready to release all his anger in a single swoop.

"We're ready to fight," Takuya declared, and out of the corner of my eye, silent approval passed through the group.

"Better be," Grumblemon glared at us from behind his big nose. "Me introduce other Digimon who defeat you: Ranamon."

"Charmed, I'm sure," the blue Digimon balanced on one foot. Her skin was a teal-green, and she wore a blue swim suit. On her head she bore a hat that resembled a flattened blue lobster with a giant red gem imbued into its skin. She spoke with a Southern accent.

"Arbormon," Grumblemon introduced the Warrior of Wood, whom I had already met in previous experiences.

"You're in for it now, righ'?" he made no contact in my direction; I'm sure he knew who I was, but our skirmish would be kept in the dark until further notice.

"And lastly, Mercurymon," Grumblemon introduced the last one. It was mostly made of emerald armor and two mirror-like shields that were attached to its arms. His conical head and big feet were absurd while his chest looked like it contained a grandfather clock behind yet another mirror. I disliked this one the most.

"So these be the whelps that have given thee so much trouble?" he spoke in Old English with a deep, fractured voice. "Pathetic."

"They'll be tougher than look," Grumblemon warned him.

"Apparently, till be utter delight to defeat thee and to hand Seraphimon another dropping in Cherubimon's name."

"With so many options, I don't know where to start," Ranamon mused, putting her fingers up to brush her chin.

"I don't like that one," Robert whispered in my ear. "I'll…I'll stay right by Neemon till you get back." He swiftly went to hide behind Neemon, peeking his head out to watch.

"Enough of your meaningless taunts!" Seraphimon boomed. "Tell me where Ophanimon is, now!"

"Me no care about her; me just want Beast Spirit back," Grumblemon raised his hammer up in the air. "So give it!"

"Why don't you come get it, _buddy_?" Takuya clenched his fists and tightly gripped his D-Tector. The others around me gathered in close ever willing and ready to fight.

"Bring it," I flipped my D-Tector in my hand and Spirit Evolved. "Execute! Spirit Evolution…Kusoramon!"

"Spirit Evolution! Aetherbaitomon…" Ryuu's transformation was in perfect synchronization with mine.

The others charged before I could even consider which opponent to attack; Aetherbaitomon drew his black swords.

"Wait," he hissed through his closed beak.

"Oh…if that big doofus hadn't stolen my Spirit, I would show him a thing or two," Zoe shrunk back by Sorcerymon.

"Yeah, well did, and now I show you thing or three!" Grumblemon kept his hammer raised high.

"You sure you don't want to get warmed up first? Pyro Darts!" Agunimon shot the flames at their feet. They jumped out of the way with no aplomb.

"Howling Laser!" Lobomon shot the beam at Ranamon, but she was too fast for that.

"You might as well just shoot the floor, sugar," she mocked as she jumped away to safety.

"Thunderfist!" Beetlemon lobbed the attack at Arbormon, but though he was heavy, he was light-footed and escaped harm.

"Crystal Freeze!" Kumamon fired at Grumblemon. Nothing was working our way, not like this; we were making too many sloppy mistakes.

"We're making too many stupid mistakes; got any ideas?" I asked Aetherbaitomon.

"Tag team Arbormon with me," he suggested. "Now!"

We charged the Warrior of Wood. "Adamas Strike!" "Tetrachromancy!"

It should have worked: one second I was about to slam my glowing fist into Arbormon's face, and the next I was slammed to the ground by a torrent of energy-sucking water.

"Nice try, right?" Arbormon chuckled down to his feet. "Try these shoes on for size: Roundhouse…Punt!" Even as we struggled to get to our feet, Arbormon slammed his wooden boot into my gut. I slammed several yards away into the crystal with a groan; his feet slammed into several of the others, knocking them _through _several inches of crystal. _We're not strong enough in Human Spirit form…but could I really risk using my Beast Spirit?_

"That was too easy," Ranamon came up close to the others who had been wounded.

"Right," Arbormon grunted his approval.

"Go get your Beast Spirit, Rockhead, fetch," Ranamon told Grumblemon as he lumbered over to them.

"Get him!" I called to Aetherbaitomon, who was trembling as he rose up to his feet.

"Not on my watch: Slide Evolution…Kyochrysaetosmon!" He leapt between the others and Grumblemon, snarling with potent venom in his voice. "Back off!"

Ranamon, startled by the creature before her, took a step back due to intimidation. Arbormon chuckled at him. "What comes up must come down, righ'? Roundhouse Punt!"

Arbormon's boots lashed at Kyochrysaetosmon, but he ducked the first and caught the second within his giant paw.

"My turn," the Beast Spirit's tail slammed down on the ground before jerking to knock the enemy back.

"Big Beast strong," Grumblemon admitted. "But Grumblemon beat anyway!"

He brought his hammer down right on top of Kyochrysaetosmon's head, slamming his chin into the crystal.

"Ryuu!" I cried as he moaned. His rage fueled his body one more time, and he rose up on his feet.

"That all you got, Rockmon?" he grunted. "I'm game."

Grumblemon brought his hammer down once more, but this time, Kyochrysaetosmon jumped to the side and caught the hammer handle within his great jaws to snap it like a twig.

"Atlante Mortem!" he bellowed. "Grrr-ooawwk!" The blackness of the mountain came right on top of Grumblemon and Arbormon before it slammed downwards upon them.

I climbed to my feet as the dust cleared: Ryuu had De-Spirit Evolved, and our enemies still stood shaking on their feet with minimal injuries. Rushing forward, I picked up the boy and leapt to a safer place.

"Are you all right?" I set him on the ground in a sitting position.

"Something's sucking my strength away…there's so much light in here," he struggled to rise to his feet once more.

"Finish them off," Ranamon ordered Grumblemon.

"Be careful or you get smashed next Ranamon," the Warrior of Earth grumbled under his breath.

"Grumblemon, no! You cannot do this!" Sorcerymon protested in horror.

"I beg your pardon?" Mercurymon, who had done little attacking at this point, turned towards him.

"You shall not lead us down the path of ruin. I've waited a life time to see peace restored to the Digital World, and you're not going to stop it from returning! Crystal Barrage!" He raised his wand and fired dozens of sharp crystals at them.

"Thou art a fool," Mercurymon raised the shields on his arms, and for a second, I thought Sorcerymon was a goner. One mirror absorbed the crystal, and the other shot blackened crystals out back at him. "Dark Reflection!"

They struck Sorcerymon, breaking his wand and injuring him greatly. Seraphimon caught him before he fell to the ground. Looking to my right, I found the other Legendary Warriors were on their feet. _We're just so weak…Do we even waste what energy we have left to summon our Beast Spirits? _

Mercurymon charged Seraphimon swinging his shield; the Celestial Digimon leapt up into the air, landing in front of us. He set Sorcerymon down to free his hands. "Strike of the Seven Stars!" The little balls of light smashed into the enemy, sending them flying. Dust from the broken crystal sifted down from the walls where they had crashed into them.

"Please," Seraphimon turned towards us. "I ask again that you leave and go back to your world. Leave this to me!"

"There's no way we'll leave!" Kumamon argued.

"Yeah, even if we wanted to, we don't know how," Beetlemon put in.

"I can't fight them _and _keep you safe. You must **go**!" he ordered again.

"Are you kidding? You can't fight all those guys by yourself," Agunimon's anger flared. "You just woke up!"

"You need us!" Lobomon proved, and although the answers we were giving him were flawless, he refused to listen.

"Stop arguing!" Robert squeaked so loudly that the whole room jumped in surprise. "We're in the middle of a battle; watch out!"

Our opponents closed in on us and prepared their attacks. Seraphimon began to summon his attack…as Mercurymon came into place in the direct line of the attack. "Strike of the Seven Stars!"

"Dark Reflection!" Mercurymon caught the attack, slamming it with unbelievable force into Seraphimon. The Celestial being cried out in agony as his Data stream became visible to us. "To the victor go the spoils," Mercurymon absorbed the Data until only an egg was left behind.

"No!" Sorcerymon could only watch as his friend vanished before his eyes. _No doubt he feels the pain that I felt when Saberdramon was taken from me…_

"Seraphimon turned into a DigiEgg!" Agunimon exclaimed. Even the evil Legendary Warriors looked upon the object with a degree of surprise and wonder.

"How ironic: Seraphimon sought to defeat Cherubimon but now his Fractal Code will be used for our ends," Mercurymon sneered. I had the greatest urge to cross the space that lay between the two of us and break the mirrors that covered him.

"No, it can't be! The hope of the Digital World is gone!" Sorcerymon mourned again. Yet in the moment of despair, Zoe raced to the egg and snatched it up.

"No, it's not! Maybe we can bring him back if we have his egg, right Sorcerymon?" She darted behind the group of us, quickly pursued by the evil Legendary Warriors who had missed their golden opportunity.

"Yes!" Sorcerymon realized with panic still in his throat. "We must protect that egg at all costs! If we get that egg to Ophanimon, she may be able to revive Seraphimon."

I went elbow to elbow between Beetlemon and Agunimon, immediately beginning to charge power.

"Come and get it," Beetlemon challenged them with electricity hissing between the two of us.

"Be not stupid," Mercurymon threatened him.

"What are ya, chicken?"

"Yeah, you big metal head!" Zoe gave the final provocation.

"Your fate is sealed then," Mercurymon gave the order. "We shall take it by unpleasant, agonizing force."

"Darkness will be your downfall," Sorcerymon said as the crystal wall behind us splintered into a thousand pieces.

We rushed through the door; most of us De-Spirit Evolving. I remained as Kusoramon to make sure that Ryuu kept up with the others. He ran with a consuming limp.

"We're almost there," I reassured him. Above us, the door slammed open.

He mumbled something under his breath before speaking louder. "I'm not gonna make it."

"What are you talking about? We're almost…"

"I have to give you some time: I can give you time," he argued, taking his D-Tector into his hand.

"I'm not leaving you here! What if they take your Beast Spirit?" At that he flinched, but he ignored the truth that was staring him in the face.

"I'm not asking to stay; I'm _staying_." Sorcerymon opened the iron door that revealed a get-away Trailmon. Just to the right of the door was another darker, smaller tunnel that could easily fit a human. Was it right for him to bargain so closely with his life? Was it right for me to leave him?

_I can't just leave him. What if he gets hurt? I just found him to lose him all over again? _

"Trust me, please," he insisted.

Something about the confidence in his eyes, the frustration in his movements, it reminded me of someone. As much as it reminded me of Saberdramon, I was sure that there was some being that I had met in the Human World who had acted the same. The feeling was that of a dream. Even if it had been true back there, it didn't mean anything here, did it? Could he really hold his own against four evil Legendary Warriors who had spent countless hours training and honing their skills?

Everyone but Sorcerymon had gone out to the Trailmon, and in a moment of insecurity, I chose the Trailmon. By turning my back on Ryuu, I turned back on everything that I had ever believed in. The split second I touched the metal of the Trailmon, I knew that I had undoubtedly doomed the boy who just may have been related to me. I climbed up onto the side of the Trailmon, holding onto the railing following Koji's example. Before the door closed, I turned towards him.

He was in Kyochrysaetosmon form with his tail slamming impatiently on the concrete; his bright eyes slid towards me.

"I'll find you," he said before the steel door separated us, and his attention inevitably moved toward the enemy.

The yellow Trailmon sped quickly away from the door as Tommy cried out in vain for Sorcerymon. Yet I could only stare at the door that had severed my hold on Ryuu.

Robert jumped onto my shoulder with a worried whimper. "What was he thinking?"

"He can take care of himself," Koji's strained tone alerted me. "He had a plan; I think he's a lot stronger than we give him credit for. He'll be back."

"You think so?" I bit my lip as I tightened my grip on the Trailmon.

"I'm positive." His reassurance helped ever so slightly, but it didn't ease the guilt that followed. If he became seriously injured, I would be the one responsible for it. It would be my fault: just like what I did to Ryan, my own brother. How had I let this happen? How could I let it happen again?


	14. Chapter 13 Lamb among the Leopards

This chapter was a little easier for me to write, but I'm looking forward to some that I can pull away from the original plotline. (They always seem to be short chapters when I follow the episode too closely.) Read and review; if you have suggestions for future chapters, put them in your review or message me. Thank you and enjoy the next installment!

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Chapter 13 Lamb among the Leopards

Every bump that we went over riding on Kettle the Trailmon seemed to get bigger and bigger as we continued hurtling down the tracks. His weight leaned back and forth, his metal body straining as he navigated turns. Somewhere a few thousand yards behind us was the place where Ryuu had vouched to stay behind…

_How could I do this to him? How could I lose him when he was so close? On Karatsukinumemon Mountain there was no chance for me to rescue him, but today…why? What drove me to think that my actions were reasonable? What was his reasoning? Those Spirits are more important now than ever. We can't take on Cherubimon without him._

It was at this time that the voice brooded deeply into the matter; the sting made me flinch. _What makes you think that the __**dragon**__ matters? He does nothing but hinder you; he's almost as bad as the Warrior of Light._

I considered that for a second, taking the opportunity to look at Koji. "Hey bud, could you possibly go any faster?" he derisively questioned him.

"Just hang onto your bandana," the Trailmon confirmed as he kicked into high gear.

"Koji!" the others shouted.

"What?" he protested. Then he directed his complaint to the Trailmon, "I was being sarcastic!" Kettle didn't slow down.

"Zoe, is everyone okay back there?" Takuya shouted from the other side of Kettle, but I never heard the response.

_I can't believe I'm going to argue with you about this…but there's a seriously big difference between Ryuu and Koji: their emotions, the way they act, the way they speak. They're two entirely different people. It's obvious that Ryuu cares about everyone and wants to protect everyone._

_He doesn't care about you; no one cares about you. _

_You're wrong, and you know it. Any one of them here right now would go a hundred miles to prove you wrong. _

_I'm aware of your stubborn attitude_, if he had a face, he was grimacing. _Consider this, Warrior of Sky. In time you will succumb to my demands, and as you fall, so will he. Light will be soon to follow. Then nothing will stand in my way ever again. _

_Darkness is still kicking pretty hard, so I doubt it; and I'm still here, aren't I? _I mused. That really ticked him off.

_You ought to surrender now before it gets worse, _he threatened. _I can make your life miserable, just you wait and see. _

He left me with a foreboding feeling that tightened all the muscles in my stomach, making me feel sick. I closed my eyes, leaning my forehead against the cool side of the Trailmon.

"Is she okay?" Koji asked . "She looks really pale."

Robert snorted loudly in my ear. "I _always _know if she's okay." There was a moment of silence before Koji spoke up.

"Well?"

"Ask her yourself if you happen to be interested," he hopped onto the side of Kettle. "I'm going to have a word with the driver."

I opened my eyes when it became apparent that I would have to talk; I straightened my posture, turning towards Koji. When he saw me move, he turned his back on me to watch the Trailmon take a sharp right turn.

_I can't see anything...how much clearance would I have on _top _of Kettle? _

My lack of expertise in climbing caused a moment of hesitation; however, that was easy to overcome. Fingers finding footholds with my feet also connecting something sturdy, it was an easier task than I had anticipated.

"Perry?" Koji called my name in surprise.

"Hold on guys, it's getting rough again!" Takuya warned us.

"Up here," I answered. The air was much cooler on top of Kettle than at his side, probably from Koji blocking most of the wind. It unnerved me when I found Light Boy himself climbing slowly up the side of the Trailmon to where I was; Robert was quick to follow him too.

"Isn't it nice up here?" Robert grinned at us. My back was tight against some of the heavy duty machinery sticking up out of the Trailmon. Koji was a good four or five feet away parallel to me with the most irritable stare radiating towards the Poyomon. A pale sheen of sweat glistened on his brow from the stressful climb.

"Hold onto something," I told him, tightening my grip to the Trailmon. Koji froze for a moment just as Kettle jumped a long expanse of downhill rails—with no rails.

"This is definitely not good for the baby!" Bokomon wailed from inside the Trailmon.

"I always say one good track deserves another," Kettle cackled with pleasure.

I let myself relax once more despite the vibrations.

"_And up until now I had sworn to myself that I'm content…with loneliness."_ Robert trailed off from the melody that long ago he had made me sing for him. "That reminds me," he spun towards me. "I have a question for ya!"

I decided to humor him. "Yeah?"

"How far would you go running in the Human World?" The question caught me off guard. I hadn't anticipated a complicated one where I was expected to form an intelligent answer.

"I don't know…a couple miles?" I shrugged. "Why?"

"When this war is over, I want a rematch from our last race. But it won't be a dinky one like we had last time. It's gonna start at the Flame Terminal and end…well, wherever we end the war, I guess. Then we will be retracing our steps the entire way!"

I stared at the Poyomon for a moment before looking up at Koji. He was staring down at the Trailmon, not looking up.

"I don't know, Robert, can you run that far?" I chuckled. "I don't think I'd get half way before I'd have to stop. It'd take weeks."

"I'd fly when my feet would hurt, or foot, whatever I have. You can fly too, so I wouldn't be cheating," he reassured me. "Unless you think that flying is cheating, which it could be, but it's not, 'cause we'll both be doing it."

"Hey, you're way's good and fine," I grinned at the Poyomon. Then he turned towards Koji with an inquisitive aura about him.

"And then there's you, Light Boy," Robert sighed. "You won't run, you won't fight back, and you just sit there. _Menacingly_." Koji didn't answer but did look up at the Digimon. "In fact," Robert continued, pacing, "I think that you have no intention of having anything to do with me."

"What gave you that idea?" Koji suggested wryly. He didn't mind that notion.

"No particular reason whatsoever." He swiveled his back towards Koji before coming up to me to sit on my shoulder. "But when you want to talk, I'm around."

The Trailmon came to a stop in an underground cave with a towering ceiling while a stream pooled beneath the rails themselves. A jump cleared the short distance from the Trailmon to the solid earth, and Kettle gave his good bye.

"End of the line and all is fine," his bright blue eyes were bigger than a beach ball. His face (or front) looked like a yellow duck with a shiny orange bill. "Happy trails!"

Everyone shouted good-byes to him and waving as he backed away. Then it was a race through the tunnel to reach the surface to put distance between us and the ravenous Grumblemon.

"Hey everybody, there's an opening up ahead!" Takuya was at the front with Koji at his side.

"Yeah, let's just hope it gets us outside," Koji returned with a strained hope. _It can't be this easy, can it? _I guessed while praying at the same time that I was wrong.

We entered the bluish light to find a gigantic cavern carved out of the stone by running water. Uneven, ancient pillars stretched up to the ceiling while different levels of the rock acted like steppes, channeling the water into the middle of the expanse of space.

"Aw…" Takuya groaned.

"This doesn't look like outside to me. Does this look like outside to you?" JP disproved of the lead runners.

"Well duh, it's an underground cavern," Zoe's voice echoed in the expanse of space. I looked up at the ceiling before scanning the walls.

"Guys, there's nothing in…" Takuya cut me off.

"Where's the exit?" he demanded of everyone, like we were supposed to know.

"There's got to be one somewhere," Koji insisted, taking a step forward.

"Right," the two charged down the rock ledges to scour the rock for an opening.

"But there's nothing…" I watched as Tommy, Bokomon burdened with Seraphimon's egg, and Neemon chased after them too. Resigned, I walked down the rock ledges, jumping down them when it deemed necessary.

I sat down on the second to last rock ledge before I sat down. I removed my shoes and socks, pressing my feet together and relaxing my arms to meditate.

"What are you doing?" Robert inquired of me with the utmost curiosity.

"Getting my bearings, I'm not very good at this. Give me a moment to breathe," I inhaled deeply before exhaling. Every thought traveled down my spine spreading throughout me with the same concept as the blood flowing through one's body.

"Hey Perry!" I heard Takuya shout from the other side of the cavern. "Help us look for a way out!" I ignored him with a loud exhalation of oxygen from my lungs.

"If Grumblemon finds us in here, we'll be in big trouble," Tommy added. Somewhere towards the entrance JP was talking really loud to Zoe about getting her Spirit back. _Focus on the silence between words. This is what you want to achieve through your meditation: concentrate, Morti._

Every minute that passed brought more and more relaxation to my muscles. It was almost as comfortable as sleeping…but as I drew my mind back to what mattered, I knew that our time was running out. Too much time spent here meant that we would have to deal with Grumblemon and any other evil Legendary Warrior that he brought with him.

I stood to my feet as JP and Tommy passed by me headed towards Koji and Takuya who were finished examining the unmovable rock.

"I guess we got to go back," Tommy said as Koji confirmed that it was indeed, a solid rock cavern.

"That's what I've been saying!" JP insisted again.

"Maybe there's an exit somewhere back in the tunnels," Zoe suggested. "It's worth a try."

The ground vibrated under my feet; all my natural running ability rushed through to my toes, and I had sprinted up three ledges before I knew what was going on. A thick wave of water launched upward from the pool to slam JP and Tommy into the side of a rock ledge.

"Tommy!" the cry came from at least three of our group as the water lapped back into the pool.

They had been knocked down and soaked to the bone; bruises and scratches from the rocks marred their skin. I took out my D-Tector, watching the pool of water while in the background I could hear talking.

"I don't feel so good, JP," Tommy whimpered.

"Jeez! Are you all right little man…? Hey! How come nobody yelled out my name?" JP paused to whine for his lost cause. The water in the pool churned violently before rising up to the top of the cavern ceiling.

The water revealed a howling whale Digimon. Its back was brown with its belly a cerulean blue, and several large teeth hung down from its jaws. Barnacle-like tubes were attached about a foot away from the corner of his jaw. Twice the size of a Trailmon, he could give a really big temper tantrum. _I thought whales ate shrimp and crustaceans, not people. _

"What's Whamon doing down here?" Bokomon asked aloud. "He lives in the ocean."

"Who is Whamon?" Zoe questioned him further.

"He's a whale Digimon, and he seems to be quite out of his element. They're ordinarily a very gentle Digimon."

"I can't stand it any longer!" he thrashed in the water. "Do you hear me? I can't stand it! I wanna go home, I wanna go home, I wanna go home!"

"We got to stop him," Koji insisted with his gaze fixed on the whale.

"O-Okay, I'm ready to go when you are," Takuya reluctantly agreed, but when he committed to the task, he was committed.

They Spirit Evolved into Agunimon and Lobomon before jumping onto Whamon's wide back. Seeing the little amount of space (and the angry whale), I decided to let this opportunity slide. _There's no reason for all of us to end up injuring ourselves, especially if Grumblemon shows up._

"All right big guy, just calm down," Lobomon growled in as pleasant of a voice as he could muster.

"Yeah, what is the matter with you?" Agunimon scolded the giant like a little kid.

"Leave me alone!" Whamon reared up in the water, continuing his thrashing for about thirty seconds longer before calming himself down.

Lobomon and Agunimon came back to shore while everyone gathered at the base of the pool. I stayed where I was, resuming my meditation once more.

"You seem to be doing a little bit better now, Whamon. Can you tell us why you were so upset?" Zoe inquired of the ginormous whale.

He rose up slightly out of the water to reveal his quivering maw. "Oh, I hate this place," his words trembled. "I just want to go back to my home, in the ocean. Until very recently I was swimming: happy and free under the sea, not a care in the world. Then one day, I saw these delicious-looking glowing plants. I couldn't help myself; I decided to take a little nibble. They were so good…" For a moment he trailed off. "Next thing I knew, I was stuck in this place with no way out!"

Whamon burst into a flood of tears as he sobbed, breaking my concentration. I took in little pieces of silence to regain it.

"Here we go again," Agunimon sighed.

"You don't have to be such a big cry baby," Lobomon complained with his usual irritation.

"He's sure losing a lot of water, is that normal?" Neemon questioned Bokomon.

"No idea," was his response.

"This is embarrassing. Does he really think all this blubbering is going to help him?" JP didn't finish his words before grunting in pain.

"A-A-And it's all my fault that you guys got hurt! I'm so sorry!" Whamon wailed with the tears still flowing out of his non-existent eyes.

"You're forgiven, all right?" JP grated through the agony; it sounded worse than what the voice could do to me on a good day.

"Well, at least you have some company now," Zoe turned to the bright side. "We're stuck here too. Maybe with your help, we could figure out a way to escape."

Instantly the blubbering stopped. A splash of water sounded before Whamon spoke in the most delighted tone. "Okay!"

My eyes snapped open as the Digimon cried out in sudden horror; the pool of water had drained completely, leaving the water Digimon on the cold cavern floor. The rocks split apart to reveal an overeager Grumblemon. I slid my shoes back on before grappling my D-Tector: he had to have brought help along with him. _But where?_

"Nowhere hide now," Grumblemon cackled. "Me find you! Me so glad to see each other again, only this time me steal your Spirits good!"

"You're an annoying little gnome, you know that?" Lobomon pointed at our adversary.

"Yeah, what he said! And by the way, you're not stealing anything from anyone ever again! We're not afraid of you anymore, Grumblemon." Agunimon gloated.

"Na na, na, ne ne ne, Grumblemon," the Warrior of Earth mocked. "Will be, look."

He took out that green shell that he had used on us the day that Takuya had found his Beast Spirit. A huge, pink wave of the powder was released into the air, and from the dust rose up twenty Golemon.

"May have Gigasmon's Spirit but me have other powers," he reminded us. "You no give me Earth Spirit, he mine. Now you give all Spirits! Me first find you, so Mercurymon and others no more have you now. Too late for that, meet my new friends!" he cackled again as a giant Golemon rose up from beneath him as his own personal rock steed. "Get them!"

I took this opportunity to Spirit Evolve as Robert jumped down from my shoulder. "Execute, Spirit Evolution! Kusoramon!" I threw myself between the closest Golemon and the injured Warriors.

"Let's turn these rocks into rubble," Agunimon dashed away with Lobomon. I gathered energy as I charged the Golemon.

"Adamas Strike!" I pounded my fist into two Golemon before landing on the ground with my back to them. They exploded into a pile of dust and stone.

"Nice to see you again, righ'?" I heard the voice behind me but was much too slow to react. "Roundhouse Punt!" Arbormon smashed his foot into my back, and I landed about twenty feet from our original entrance into the cavern with a moan.

"Bunch of lamb among the leopards is what you are, am I righ'? Just look at ya; we gonna crush you like a bunch of beetles," he continued, stepping on my wing to prevent me from fleeing.

One of the bones cracked inside of it as I fought to get him off. A scream of pain ricocheted up my throat, but I caught it as a groan in my throat.

"Get away!" Robert charged the Warrior of Wood, bouncing off his head before sprinting behind the cover of some rocks. I twisted my feet around, connecting them into Arbormon's leg with a grunt.

He moved just enough for me to get some distance from him. "Not so fast, the turtle beat the hare."

He deliberately turned his back on me to launch his extendable arms to catch Lobomon and Agunimon by the neck. "Intervention is always the best medicine, right?"

He towed them backwards towards him with a snap of his arm, sending me flying against the stone wall with a snap of his whip-like arm.

"Come here! How about a little dance?" he briefly released them on the next ledge, jumping up where I was. "Take a load off, Bird. We got business to take care of while I handle these two."

Again he stepped hard on my wings to prevent me from moving as I trembled with the pain that ebbed through me.

"Kusoramon!" Agunimon shouted my name, but it wasn't him that I was focusing on. _I have to concentrate. _

He launched his fists out, slamming them into my allies. Then he waved his arms wildly to smack their heads up and down with maniacal force.

"Leave them alone," I begged. I couldn't focus well enough even to store power to free myself; the pain was too strong.

"That reminds me. Your fiery friend took a tumble now, didn't he? We heard all about that; he gives us grief for six months before we canned him." If I had been a human, I would have started sobbing like Whamon. All the emotions that I had been storing up since then spilled over and clouded my eyes. "We got all them fiery birds to give up and turn tail. Pathetic."

Down below me, I could see the bands of Data that surrounded Lobomon and Agunimon. Further away, I saw that JP had Spirit Evolved with Kumamon now at his side. Maybe they could give us enough time.

"Me can smell Spirits; hurry up and get for me!" Grumblemon shouted out from across the cavern.

"First, I got to change into something more comfortable. Arbormon Slide Evolution…Petaldramon."

The Warrior of Wood had turned into a leafy lizard: his main body was constructed of bark with moss covering the front portion of his huge body. His underside and tail were colored like a brown vine with his tail whip-like. Six thorn projections came up from the middle of his back while his neck was crowned with a mane of red leaves; his feet were also made of three leaves of the same variety. His head was the color of a coconut with his black eyes the size of watermelons. If he had been on our side, I would have been shaking his leafy hand.

"Much better," Petaldramon slid his giant eyes back and forth.

Below me, I watched as Grumblemon charged JP, who had been forced to De-Spirit Evolve.

"Seismic Slam!" Grumblemon's hammer came down.

"Blasting Spout!" Whamon shot a jet of water into Grumblemon, slamming the evil Warrior into the rocks.

Out of Whamon had come the Beast Spirit of Thunder. Blue crystals of water floated harmlessly in the air while the Spirit's power hummed.

Anger fueled my will to fight again, overwhelming the pain, and I took in power while Petaldramon was still distracted by the scene below. As huge as he was, I could still do damage to him if I wanted to.

"Luce Carentes—Light!" I fired the attack right into his face. Blinded, he backed up away from me allowing my escape.

I leapt down to where Lobomon and Agunimon were. A close examination of my wings drooping at my sides gave the obvious answer: they were broken. _I'm gonna feel this in the morning._

"Are you all right?" Lobomon asked. "You don't look too good."

"I've been better," I panted, turning towards the fight brewing below us.

"Beast Spirit Evolution! MetalKabuterimon!" the shout came from JP as he utilized his Beast Spirit.

He was built like a giant blue tank with six limbs respectively. His head held green eyes and a blue horn; his main hands were tubes with a positive or negative sign imprinted upon them. His shoulders were huge, black, and had spiky knobs like I would expect to see on a land mine. His legs were like military tank treads that could maneuver over any terrain without difficulty; his main outline was blue, but there was yellow on his chest, 'feet', and hands.

"Bolo Thunder!" he shot the ceiling repetitively as electricity rippled across his body.

Rocks showered down from the ceiling ranging in size from hail to a semi-truck's trailer.

"He's completely out of control. Head for cover!" Lobomon ordered Agunimon and I.

"Right." We sprinted away from Petaldramon who was too big to avoid so many rocks. _He'll be back. When he is, I'll be ready to repay him for the evil that he has done to the family of Saberdramon. If not me, one of the others will. _

We fled to a place where the ceiling was safe before De-Spirit Evolving. All my strength left me as I did. Weaving on my feet, I watched as Grumblemon was annihilated by MetalKabuterimon. Robert sprinted over to me, jumping up to my shoulder.

"Thanks Robert, you gave me some clearance," I told the Poyomon. "Don't ever do it again."

"No problem," he responded. "But I was wondering. If this cave were to collapse in on us, because of how the Trailmon tracks seemed full of water, is the ocean going to come in and crush us?"

The two boys before me stared at me before looking at each other. On cue, the ceiling began to tremble under the weight of the water that was pressing upon it.

"Run!" they fled towards the others with me close behind them.

"Hey! Didn't you hear me?" Takuya shouted. We reached the others as the Data above us vanished, letting in thousands and thousands of gallons of water right on top of us.

The blow knocked me in the rock, stunning me. Even as a child I had not been the best of swimmers, nor could I deal with the pressure that was holding me down. I could just barely feel Robert nudging me over and over again, but my muscles couldn't move. I couldn't breathe and couldn't see a thing. Although the others had been so close when the water came, I was not sure if I would be able to find them.

_I tried to recover Saberdramon's egg, and due to my carelessness, I lost Ryuu. Then just as I had found Ryuu once more, I lost Saberdramon forever. Everyone and everything that I became attached to: Ryan, Saberdramon. But I can't just give up, can I? What if Ryuu is still alive, badly hurt but searching for me? He needs us; he needs _me_. _

Robert launched off of me into the darkness. Trying to kick up off the bottom, I felt the trapped air in my lungs catch fire. Dust from the rock sealed my eyes shut as I moved my arms in a feeble attempt to find someone. The same darkness that I had once found Duskmon in, that darkness came crawling into the corners of my eyes. Only this time, I knew that Duskmon was even too far away to know that I was drowning.

_Pawns cannot be lost so easily, _the voice forced my eyes to open, to see in the faded light that there was a hand outstretched in the water.

I grabbed it, and the strength remained in my body waned to nothing. The darkness settled.

* * *

When I woke up, I was coughing up one of my lungs and a gallon of water. Someone continued to bang on my back till I was capable of sitting up; it was Koji who had saved my life, kneeling next to me. Everyone else was safe standing next to us. Robert took this opportunity to jump down onto me from Takuya's shoulder.

"You're not a very good swimmer," he deducted flatly.

"I couldn't move," I admitted. "It felt like there was a pair of concrete blocks stuck on my arms."

Koji reached out to extend my arms out in front of him, examining them. It was the weirdest feeling, to let him touch me. When he didn't find what he was looking for, he stood up and helped me to my feet.

"They're not broken," he said.

"I hit the rocks hard…nothing more," I shakily stood on my feet. "Where are we?"

"Did we die?" Tommy asked aloud. _If I regained consciousness, I don't think we're dead. It's just dark._

"I don't think so," Zoe answered; she sounded dazed from the water.

"It smells like something did," JP complained as the entrance to our holding place was opened by a set of jaws with big teeth.

Everyone lost their breath at the sight of the waters that rippled about us; it stretched for miles and miles around us with depths that were unreachable by human means.

"It's the ocean," Tommy gasped before a sudden realization came over us.

"It's Whamon!" everyone laughed in relief at the comforting news. Surely we all would have drowned in the cavern without him.

"I don't know how you saved us, but thank you," Bokomon told the giant Digimon.

"Yeah, and welcome home, Whamon," Zoe congratulated him.

"Oh, I'm the one who should be thanking you," he digressed. "Without you, I might have been stuck in that cave forever. Hold on everybody, we should be reaching the island very soon!"

"I-Island?" Takuya stammered in disbelief. Sure enough, there it was less than three or four miles away from us with palms trees and sandy beaches.

I moved to the back of the group and sat down. Taking out my D-Tector, I stared at the screen as it flashed between Kusoramon and CruciChimaeramon. Something inside of me felt like I _needed _to take the time to consult my Spirits.

_I wonder why CruciChimaeramon looks little to nothing like Kusoramon, _I found myself brooding, trying to not think about our current dilemma. That was news was inevitable and irrevocable. _Aetherbaitomon and Kyochrysaetosmon look somewhat similar…but my Spirits don't match up. It's like Kazemon Beast Spirit Evolving into BurningGreymon._

My D-Tector paused on the screen of CruciChimaeramon. I had only used the Beast Spirit once, but it appeared that while I had control for the most part, the voice itself had deemed control too. How linked were we that he had footholds in my Beast Spirit?

_Morti, Morti, _a dark, growling voice, rather perturbed, rolled my name over on its tongue. _I sense fear and distrust in you._

_CruciChimaeramon? _I stared at my D-Tector in dismay. Thunderous, rolling chuckles answered me. _Do you know some of the answers to my questions?_

_You have recognized that I am a part of you, a step in the right direction. However, there is…something strange. _The Beast Spirit's eyes closed. _We detect an unnatural being that is hindering us from becoming stronger._

_The voice._

_We ought to be able to eradicate the parasite…but a change must go through us. _She spoke in third person, no longer bothering to keep the two of us separate, acting as though we had totally accepted the idea that we were the same. _We are not strong enough to reach the roots. Only when we become thoughtless, two creatures working as one unified being, can we rip the parasite into tiny pieces to burn. _That's not graphic at all.

_What kind of a change? How can I get rid of him? _I asked again. The Spirit's eyes snapped open.

_You will know when the time comes. _The D-Tector's screen went blank, and no more words came from the mouth of CruciChimaeramon.

"_Only when we become thoughtless…" _I felt the words repeating over and over in my mind. How long would it take me to learn how to become strong?

"Who knows a good traveling song that has to do with whales?" Robert asked the others. "Or am I gonna have to find some inspiration elsewhere?"

"Don't even think about it," JP warned him with venom.

"You're no fun." He pouted and came back to my shoulder. "Which reminds me of not being fun…"

"Hey," I protested, knowing full well that the adjective wasn't directed to my attributes.

While the others talked about the island, I gave my undivided attention to the Poyomon.

"I think," he spoke in a whisper so that the others couldn't possibly hear him. "In my humble opinion, we should spend a little time honing your Beast Spirit skills in the forest away from the others. Of course, I'm sure we're going to take a mini vacation from fighting, but I have a feeling that other evil Legendary Warriors are going to commit to hunting us down now whenever they can. Trust me on this one."

His words rang true, and if CruciChimaeramon was right, I needed all the help I could get. Had he sensed the tone and importance of the conversation? Surely no one else had heard us.

Unlocking my full potential would take time. Even if this kind of training would not help defeat the voice, it would up my confidence. I did not want to fear using the Beast Spirit: I could handle anything that this world threw my way, right?


	15. Chapter 14 Beast Spirit Disorder

A little short, but I have big and better things planned for next chapter in comparison to this one. Plus I found it as a good excuse to update sooner (although having more words and pages would have been nice too). Thank you for being patient!

* * *

Chapter 14 Beast Spirit Disorder

When we had bid Whamon farewell, we found ourselves on the rocky shore of the island with palm trees at our back. The only sound that could be heard was the rushing of the inviting water lapping at our feet.

"Well, there he goes," Koji said as Whamon's tail disappeared from view.

"Nice of you to point out the obvious," Takuya put his hands on his hips while his eyes focused on the white cresting waves.

"Don't be such boys!" Zoe scolded in a delighted tone, moving uphill.

"My dear Zoe, what has gotten into you?" Bokomon questioned her as she raised her D-Tector up in the air.

"You can't blame a girl for feeling good, especially on a beautiful day for a girl to get her Spirit back!"

"And let's not forget who has his Beast Spirit now!" JP declared with his D-Tector snapped up into the air.

"Who?" Robert asked me mockingly. "Surely not him?"

"Let's hear it for JP, the princely Beast of Thunder," Zoe cheered to no one's response.

"And Zoe, princess of the summer breeze," JP rolled the words off his tongue.

"And Takuya, king of I'm-gonna-be-sick," the Warrior of Flame gagged with Robert following in close pursuit.

"EW…Ha! Does that make you a queen?" the Poyomon asked me, about to fall apart from the laughter welling up inside of him.

"Hey!" I complained. "Whose side are you on?"

"Anyways…" Koji interrupted our squabble. "What should we do?"

"We ought to go look for any inhabitants," Bokomon informed us. "Perhaps they can tell us where we are and how to get onto the mainland."

We weren't walking for long before I started to pick up the signs that were being displayed around me: tropical plants strained eagerly for the sunlight while the waves continually licked the shoreline. Everything was green past the sand and rocks, and the air was cool. Perfect running weather.

"You know, I can't help but notice that it's summer, and we're at a beach," JP gestured with his hands outstretched to absorb sunlight.

"I noticed that," Zoe laid her hand across her forehead to admire the scenic view about us.

"Yeah, you know what that means?" Tommy asked with a grin.

I blinked stupidly as they all cheered, "Summer vacation!"

"The waves!" Tommy slid in the earth to point at the rolling water.

"Shell hunting!" Zoe pulled a starfish (not a shell, mind you) off of a moist rock.

"Some sunshine!" JP threw his hands up in the air. I took a few steps back from them.

"How about we take a little vacation ourselves?" Robert whispered loudly so that the others could hear.

"Yeah! Put it all together and what do you got? The beach, _baby_!" he put his foot on top of a rock. We had stopped in a clearing that gave us a brilliant view of the ocean brushing the sky. Their idea surely was tempting enough. Was it worth it?

"Takuya, aren't you forgetting something?" Koji reminded him. "We're supposed to be on a mission here, and we'd be stupid to let our guard down."

"Come on, you gotta lighten up, buddy," Takuya jumped to his side and began to tickle the Warrior of Light. Dumbfounded, I could only watch. _I better not be next. _

"Yeah, stop being a party pooper!" JP joined him as Koji protested.

"Wait! I'm not guys I…I just…I just think that…" he stammered as the giggling consumed him. "Stop it!" The attackers ceased their assault.

"It can't hurt to take a short break; we've earned it," Zoe insisted once the boys had released Koji.

"Zoe's right, we have earned it," Takuya and JP grinned, leaning on Koji's shoulders.

"Fine, whatever, it's obvious that I'm outnumbered here," he conceded. The he turned his head towards me. "Unless you agree with me."

Panicked, I laughed nervously. "What would give you that idea? Of course I agree with you, but for the time being, I agree with Takuya."

"Yes!" the Warrior of Flame pumped his arm down with his hand closed into a fist. "She just likes me better."

"That's doubtful," Koji answered him. "It's probably because you're such an intimidating, frightening guy."

"That's it then!" Zoe recounted our vote. "All in favor say, 'Ay!'"

"Ay, ay!" we agreed.

"Ooh," Neemon interrupted, staring down the beach.

"Oh indeed, look!" Bokomon pointed.

Everyone rushed towards it, leaving me behind with Koji. He sighed before reluctantly walking after them at my side.

"Thank you for saving me back at the cavern," I told him.

"And for not saving me," he returned flatly. "What are you so afraid of?"

"Takuya." That one word (or name) summed just about everything up. "I grew up with his rambunctious nature, and I've had enough of nature for fifty years after a week at camp with that kid."

Koji cracked a smile. "I'll bet."

"You don't know any of these people on a personal scale, do you?"

"No, but we're still in the same boat."

"Why would you say that?" I studied him curiously out of the corner of my eye.

"We both know that we have to look out for the others," he answered truthfully. "As much as we want to believe that it is friendly and inviting here, we still have bad guys after us. It's not going to be long before we have somebody else tailing us now that Grumblemon's out of the picture."

"Yeah," I was surprised to find myself agreeing with him. "I was wondering too…about Beast Spirits."

"What about it?"

"Everybody seems to think that when you get them, everything has to change. Like they expect that you're going to fail the first time that you try it."

"Don't worry about it," he dismissed it as we drew nearer to the others. "You need to be cautious, but you can't make yourself afraid. Fear never helped anyone."

The building that stood in front of us had a giant sign with _Toucanmon Paradise _hung above the doorway: steps led to an expensive-looking deck. The roof was painted a faded shade of red while the building's four corners were raised on thick stilt-like beams.

"What's summer vacation without a beach house?" Zoe gestured with a wave of her hand.

"This is a little too convenient," Koji said, like he was already expecting evil Digimon warriors and booby traps.

"I don't know about that, but it sure looks awfully comfortable," Tommy reproached.

Four colorful, gaudy Digimon hopped down the flight of stairs to present themselves before us; no doubt they were the Toucanmon owning this piece of temporary paradise. Their beaks were elongated with yellow stripes on blue; their bodies were red eggshells that had been cut in half with jagged edges. Their shoes resembled Mickey Mouse's attire with their giant eyes lined with Egyptian-looking mascara.

"Welcome!" they greeted us.

"Honored guests, we welcome you to Toucan Paradise," the leader with a strong voice addressed us.

"Thank you Mister Toucanmon, we're honored you're honored," Tommy replied to him.

"Yeah, we're honored but we're broke," Koji reminded the others.

"Koji!" Robert hissed. "Don't tell them that!"

"Oh, please, what's a few Digi-Shekels among friends? Besides, it just so happens that today everything is on the house—by which I mean free!" While the bird spoke, he flapped and strained in some sort of attempt to show his face to everyone in the back.

"We know what it means," Bokomon told them with a flat voice, appalled by the very appearance of these birds. They didn't set his standards either.

"Sorry! So sorry! It was just a small joke, very small!" the one in the back with a chef's hat squeaked.

"It's okay…" Tommy assured them, but the Toucanmon continued their rampage against this atrocity they seemed to have committed.

"No, no, no! We are absolutely humiliated! There's absolutely nothing we won't do to make it up to you!" the bird on the left (with a stylish Indiana Jones hat) squawked.

Everyone gasped at the opportunity that had landed on his lap. "Wow, really?" JP exclaimed, probably thinking that this surely guaranteed food.

"Really, really, really, double really!" the Toucanmon flapped and chanted in unison to assure us. It worked: everyone began to file into the building.

Robert returned to my shoulder, and we exchanged wary glances. "If it's food," he helped to decide for me, "I think we should be all for it. Then I'm gonna take a long, long nap."

"I think I'll take you up on that," I agreed with him.

The Toucanmon prepared the meal, and when they had moved out of the way, the others in the group rushed in for the food. Almost sighing from the idea of sitting down, I slowly made my way to a chair. _I need to go running soon and get rid of all these kinks and aches. _

"Hail to the chef!" people cheered around me.

"Oh, man! I am so enjoying these overcooked Ramen noodles with rubbery egg," Takuya couldn't stop smiling as he ate. Across from him, we received another update.

"This is the best lumpy curry I've ever had!" Zoe pointed to the spoon with a contagious smile.

"You're weird," Koji decided while barely looking at them from the corner of his eye. "Is that supposed to be a compliment?"

"Sssh! You're ruining the magic!" Robert hissed across the table before burying his head down into his bowl of noodles.

"Dude, don't you get it? It's food like from back home, not some crazy meat tasting rabbit food," JP reminded with yet _another _grin.

"Every bit of it looks exactly like what it is: lumps and all. Besides, it's a beach house _buuuddy_, the food could have sand and bugs and stuff all over it, but nobody would care!" Takuya finished; I was totally done eating after that speech.

"Bring on the bugs!" the others cheered.

"And the stuff, bring on the stuff!" Bokomon supplemented. Koji quickly went back to ignoring them with all of his might.

"All righty then," I got up. "I'm gonna take a run, do some scouting."

"You just ate," Tommy proved with some intelligence behind it.

"Not much," I shrugged it off before turning away, feeling eyes drilling my back.

One of the Toucanmon poked his head out from behind the bar in the kitchen area. "She's coming back, right?"

"In minutes," Robert cackled somewhere inside his bowl. "She's pretty fast."

* * *

Loosening my muscles while walking beneath the trees, I yawned widely as I took my time. Time alone made me feel portions of stress melt through my shoes into the earth. Heck, I almost felt like singing.

"_I hear you breathing in; another day begins…The stars are falling out; my dreams are fading out, fading out…I've been keepin' my eyes wide open. I've been keepin' my eyes wide open…" _

My thoughts ended abruptly from the sting of the voice curling up inside my skull; a poisonous snake that had struck too many times. Internally twitching, I paused to place my hand on the trunk of a tree.

_Get out._

Laughter echoed from the cavernous bowel of his throat to display the lack of intimidation that plagued him. If he had been standing in front of me, I would have proceeded to beat the living tar out of him (quite an aggressive move on my part) using my Spirit. Or even my fists for that matter. When he ended the sound with a sigh, he continued with a disappointed tone.

_The others are talking about you now, child. Can't you hear their voices?_

When I kept quiet, I _could _hear them. But it was all bad things. Things about Ryuu, my attitude, my appearance, and the secrets that I had kept from them. Hearing this shouldn't have bothered me: what did I care about how others felt about me?

_It's a trick_, I rationalized. _And I believe you didn't hear me the first time._

_It's no trick, Perry. _When he said my name, I shuddered at the chill that came over me. The sting grew sharper before dulling, over and over.

My body reacted with a single thought that penetrated through the darkness: run. Sprinting back through the forest, the pain faded with every step that I took, and by the time I had reached the edge of the wood, I was exhausted.

I leaned my back against the closest tree. Too tired to move my feet, I sat down.

"Perry?" Robert's voice called out to me. My body relaxed when my eyes found the Poyomon approaching me with a concerned face. "Are you okay?"

"Just tired," I exhaled deeply through my nose before looking up at the thin branches holding the leaves up away the tree trunk. The thoughts swirling around my head faltered before continuing to span and grow. "I've been doing some thinking about my Beast Spirit."

He jumped onto my shoulder. "Thinking about telling the others that you found it?"

"Well, that's just it. I mean, I don't care what other people think about how I look, but what if this Spirit scares them? Kyochrysaetosmon intimidated us when we first saw and heard about him."

"You're not a hormone-enslaved teenage boy," Robert reminded me. "You have a lot more self-control; I believe in you."

I smiled at him. "So when should I show off the Spirit?"

"Well…I came to find you when Zoe started screaming," he admitted. "I don't know what's going on, so I figured you could help us out. Maybe if it involves using a Spirit or two, you can go for it."

"You're the best," I thanked him. "Let's get a move on."

I darted for the clearing closest to the beach, hitting the brakes when I saw the four Toucanmon decked out in Ranamon décor: buttons, headbands, hand-held fans…and several D-Tectors.

"Ranamon the ravishing!" they sang as they stomped across the sand.

"Ew," Robert stuck out his tongue. "Fan boys."

"Hey!" Takuya and the others had caught up to them. "Just what do you mean by 'Ranamon the ravishing'? Huh?"

"Give our D-Tectors back to us right now," Koji threatened them with a closed fist. I took two steps back into the foliage to not be seen; maybe if I Spirit Evolved now, I could take 'em.

"Just wait," Robert instructed. "The real fight isn't with them; they're just pawns."

_I hate that word. _I kept still in the shadows like he told me to.

"No way, no how. These little babies are our ticket to a date with Ranamon," one of the Toucanmon said, holding up Koji's D-Tector.

"Take it from me," JP gestured to himself in the process. "You guys are delusional; now give 'em back!"

"You can't make us; you should scram," the little bird bluffed.

"Maybe we should scram," a more timid Toucanmon suggested. They froze, and Robert gave the order.

"Move it!" he jumped to the dirt as my muscles surged with adrenaline.

I leapt out in the sand as the birds sprinted past me, but it wasn't the Toucanmon that caught my attention. The water was shooting up in the air straight towards me: whether it was on purpose or not, I wasn't sure. The details didn't matter. One of the blasts slammed me into a tree trunk with the force of a heavy duty truck.

_I'm losing my edge. _I stepped out of the knee-high brush. _Think this through, Morti. Don't make so many stupid mistakes; watch what the opponent is doing. _

The group of humans took an abrupt stop in the sand to face her. _They're going to need all the help they can get…whose D-Tector didn't get taken?_

"Hi y'all," the Warrior of Water drawled in her smooth voice. Three spirals of water swirled at her command while she stood upon another. "I was so lookin' forward to seeing y'all again. I'd hope to have my Beast Spirit to show you first, but everything happens for a reason. We can't have everything, just be good little children and hand over your Spirits. I'd love to stay and chat, but frankly, you bore me to tears. Now, how does that sound?"

Zoe had her hands on her hips. "Humph! Sounds stupid to me!" _It must be her._

Protectively drawing in front of the humans, I unfolded my wings to their full eight foot wingspan.

"But we don't have our D-Tectors," Koji growled, feeling vulnerable like the others. Koji's head turned towards me. "What about you?"

"I'll take care of her," Zoe assured them before I could answer.

"But Zoe…" JP protested suddenly. _Do I seriously sit this one out? Do I let her do it alone to regain her honor? She had her Spirit taken away for so long…_

"Don't worry, JP. I'll take care of her in no time," Zoe confirmed, holding her D-Tector at the ready.

"Goody, goody, this is gonna be a treat," Ranamon displayed her sharp looking teeth before letting the twisters of water force the wind into a full out blast. "And for you, my dear!"

One of the twisters locked around me, hoisting me right up to her as shouts of protest came from down below. "Now, I can't have you flapping around in my face with _your_ petty Spirits, can I?"

"I think you're scared," I poured malice into my words while staring into her crimson eyes. "You're scared because unlike them, _I _know Digimon who could make you the Warrior of _evaporated puddles_."

She gave me the full extent of her angry eyes. Snapping her fingers, the water spout that held me captive shot me into the mass of trees in the middle of the island. Knowing I had seconds, I pulled out my D-Tector.

"Execute!" _Please work…_ "Spirit Evolution…Kusoramon!"

When I threw out my wings, I closed my eyes in a flinching moment to hide from the oncoming pain. However, the only thing I felt was the green palm tree tops brushing my talons. Across the expanse of space I could see that the great windstorm had ended.

_Now what? _I wondered. _Should I use my Beast Spirit?_

I flew back to find that Kazemon was out in the middle of the water: Ranamon was nowhere to be seen. _Goody, this isn't going to end well. _

The water churned beneath me. Taking an evasive maneuver, I landed in the shallow water to watch.

"Ready or not, here I come!" the ugliest Beast Spirit I had ever seen came up out of the water. "In all my radiant beauty, I can see by your faces that you're impressed."

She was a giant squid with two huge tentacles capable of lifting her up out of the water. Six smaller tentacles dangled by her waist. A sickly thin human body was anchored to the squid contraption wearing a triangular hat upon her long purple hair; the squid body had several pairs of giant yellow eyes. If I had met her in any body of water back in the Human World, I think I would have willingly given up swimming for the rest of my life. _I hope CruciChimaeramon doesn't look half as ugly as that. Poor Ranamon._

"By your faces, I see you still need some convincing. Maybe you just need another look at sweet Calmaramon!" she used those big tentacles to walk on land like some half-fish, half-human prototype fresh out of the nuclear infested waters of somebody's putrid lake.

"That is one ugly…yeah," Takuya whimpered somewhere behind me.

"She doesn't sound very nice either," Tommy spoke through gritted teeth.

"And she smells too, did you notice that?" JP complained a little too loudly.

"Who do you think you are?" Calmaramon demanded with her fangs gleaming. "You can't insult Calmaramon and get away with it!"

She stomped after the others, forcing them to scatter. Kazemon and I moved between them.

"Kusoramon!" I heard Robert call from up in a nearby tree. "She's too strong for you! Back off!"

Calmaramon struck Kazemon to the ground, and she wasn't quick in rising. _But I haven't even touched her with one of my attacks. Why should I back off?_

I landed on the ground to stand between the two of them.

"I'm sorry, Sugar," Calmaramon wheezed sarcastically. "Not too fond of our dance? Maybe I should turn up the music—ta, ta, honey!"

"Titantic Tempest!" she thrust her great bulk up into the air before spinning the squid construct part of her body like a top. However…something was up.

She was using her most powerful attack too soon, and instead of being in control, she was moving out of control until she had flown out of sight. _Yikes._

I De-Spirit Evolved with a loud sigh, turning towards Kazemon. She too De-Spirit Evolved and shrugged her shoulders. "We'll get her next time."

"Uh huh," I turned back towards the vanishing Beast Spirit.

"I'm guessing we're okay then," JP spoke aloud. The sound of his voice bothered me suddenly.

"What are you all still doing here?" I demanded, pointing in the direction of the Toucanmon footprints. "Where are the Toucanmon?"

They all groaned and began to follow the tracks as fast as their feet could carry them. Robert floated down to my shoulder with a smile before whispering in my ear.

"If I find the Toucanmon first, you're gonna get me Koji's bandana!"

"You got to find them first," I said as he jumped to the ground. "Come on; let's take a short cut." I jogged through an opening in the trees, keeping the trail of Toucanmon tracks in my peripheral vision.

As we began the trek to do some real tracking, Robert sang a melody that made my muscles move faster and faster. It made me hope that we could find those D-Tectors sooner than later. _"I always knew that you'd come back to get me, and you always knew that it wouldn't be easy... to go back to the start to see where it all began, or end up at the bottom to watch how it all ends. You tried to lie and say I was everything; I remember when I said, 'I'm nothing without you.' I'm nothing without you. _

"_Somehow I found a way to get lost in you. Let me inside; let me get close to you. Change your mind, I'll get lost if you want me to. Somehow I found a way to get lost in you._

"_You always thought that I left myself open, but you didn't know I was already broken. I told myself that it wouldn't be so bad, pulling away you took everything I had. You tried to lie and say I was everything. I remember when I said, 'I'm nothing without you.' I'm nothing without you._

"_Somehow I found a way to get lost in you. Let me inside, let me get close to you. Change your mind: I'll get lost if you want me to. Somehow I found a way to get lost in you._

"_The pain of it all, the rise and the fall: I see it all in you. Now every day I find myself sayin', 'I want to get lost in you; I'm nothing without you…'_

"_Somehow I found a way to get lost in you. Let me inside, let me get close to you. Change your mind: I'll get lost if you want me to, but somehow I found a way to get lost in you." _

* * *

The first song towards the beginning is Your Love is a Song by Switchfoot; the ending is Lost in You by Three Days Grace. I do not own the lyrics nor any part of either band.


	16. Chapter 15 Unleash the Lion

Had to do some soul searching to complete this chapter. Once and a while I feel like when I write this story that I follow the plotline a little too close for comfort. (It makes my plotline a little dreary and drab.) I felt a little bit better when I got towards the end of this installment.

The quote about darkness and light used by "Duskmon" towards the end is a statement by Martin Luther King, Jr. "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."

* * *

Chapter 15: Unleash the Lion

The sky was stained cerulean blue as the day stretched into the noon hours; the green palms and lush, palatial trees stretched their long limbs out into the radiating sunlight. A quiet breeze lifted the leaves up to the sun before gently setting them back down into the aether: up and down. The only sound that I could hear was the crackling of waves on the other side of the sand, and the hiss of the leaves moving in the trees.

"Toucanmon! Come out wherever you are…please? Aw, man," Takuya lamented from within a giant grouping of ferns.

While everyone had scattered about to try looking for the Toucanmon again on this new day, I was taking a break with Robert under the shade of a palm tree. The sun light beat down on our faces and burned our arms.

"It's no use," Koji jumped down from the tree. "They're probably on the other side of the island by now."

Takuya dragged his feet out from the brush. "Come on; let's get out of the sun."

I let my back hit the sand and covered my eyes with my forearms. "I'm not moving yet."

"Let's go," he caught hold of my ankle to drag me across the sand over to the _Toucanmon Paradise_ building.

Robert floated up to the Warrior of Flame's shoulder with a loud, unimpressed sigh. "We've been searching for hours and haven't even seen a feather. Even if they are here hiding someplace, what if Ranamon shows up again with control of her Beast Spirit?"

"She's too vane for that," Koji reminded him.

"No kidding," Takuya dropped my foot and lay down on a bench; Robert returned to me, sitting on my shoe. "Let's just take a break for a while."

Everyone had gathered at the front of the building where it was evident that no one had any idea where the Toucanmon might be. Somewhere to my right, someone gave out a loud, droning sigh.

"Hey," Zoe reassured him. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure we'll find your D-Tector real soon."

"Huh?" the whiner happened to be JP. "What were you saying, Z?"

"JP," she disproved. "Weren't you thinking about your D-Tector?"

"Oh…uh, well, I was wondering if…you'd be like that."

"Be like what?" she pressed insistently. My eyes popped open from beneath my wrists. _Well?_

"Like Calmaramon," he admitted sheepishly. _Seriously? _Although it sounded ridiculous, my thoughts wandered in a similar direction. _Is CruciChimaeramon as terrifying as Calmaramon is disgusting? _

"Heh, Calmaramon, where?" Takuya sat up with the sound of the Beast Spirit of Water still in her ears.

"Eek!" Robert dove under the bench. "Get it away!"

I shook my head with disdain before retrieving the shivering Poyomon from under the bench. "I was wondering if you were going to be all scary like that when you get your Spirit and all that, you know?" JP finished his thought, and honestly, it made my guts squirm like I had a tapeworm. The very concept of hurting the others, of frightening them…of them dying because of my failure, it weighed down on my soul.

"Stop that! I can't believe you guys would think something like that; I'm nothing like her!" Zoe barked and looked away with a glare still lingering on her face, arms folded defiantly across her chest.

"Of course," Neemon spoke nervously, and before Zoe could go commando on him, Takuya interrupted their banter.

"He's not saying you're evil or anything, just that Beast Spirits are hard to control," Takuya intervened.

"Yes, remember what happened with Takuya?" Bokomon reminded with a hint of irony that earned him a scowl.

"I'll always be a cool and beautiful girl Digimon," Zoe boasted. "That I know."

"But…how?" Tommy questioned her vanity.

"Because I'm a girl," she proclaimed, spinning in a circle and pumping her fist in the air. "And girls know how to handle power when they need to." _Are you sure? _

Intimidated by her rant, JP, Tommy, and Neemon cowered under her wrath. Rolling my eyes, I made a judgment call. "Bokomon…can I see the book?"

"I don't normally hand out the book as human fingers can mar pages, but I can make an exception for a Legendary Warrior." Pulling it from his waistband, the white Digimon presented me with the green book. "My dear, what of your Beast Spirit? What do you think?"

I flipped through the pages of the book swiftly, passing Kusoramon in my flourishing wrist movement. "There's not a lot to think about. Either I'm going to be able to control it, or I'm not."

Tommy turned his attention towards me. "So are you planning on always being a beautiful girl Digimon like Zoe?" I reached the page, and the voice made me jump and drop the book. With a hiss, the voice made me bite my lip, and Bokomon snatched the book up off the ground.

"What's wrong?" Takuya questioned me. "What did you see?"

"Er…it's nothing," I quickly dismissed it. A flicker of movement caught my attention: the Toucanmon flying away from the island. "Look!"

"Hey!" Takuya raced out from the building. "It's the Toucanmon!"

"Where are they going?" Tommy asked rhetorically. Another island close by loomed just out of reach; unless Whamon magically reappeared, it would be a long swim. I could fly after them…

"Don't let 'em get away! We can swim over," Takuya and Zoe began to sprint to the shoreline. The others followed, and I took up the back. Staring longingly at the bird Digimon, I wanted to use my Beast Spirit to track them down. To get the others to the island.

I just couldn't do it. _Without Ryuu, I don't think it's possible. What happens if I lose control? What if I hurt someone?_

_Coward, _the voice sneered. _You have all the power in the world, but you're too frightened to use it._

_You twist everything I think and say, _I felt my eyebrows scrunch together for a moment. _I'm not a coward._

_You lie, child. I tire of these games you play…When the others find out about you hiding your Beast Spirit, they'll treat you like a traitor._

I considered the possibilities before thoughtlessly dismissing his words. _I don't care what they think of me, and I'm not going to make any more mistakes. The next time I see Ranamon, I'm going to use my Beast Spirit. I'm going to beat her. _

_Oh really. _He yawned in disbelief, bored of our talk. _We'll see about that. _

Looking up from the haze in my thoughts, I found Takuya and Zoe surrounded by a dozen small, seal Digimon with red mohawks and long black claws extending from their feet. Bokomon called them Gomamon.

"We wouldn't be very good friends if we let you go out there," the leader told us. "The water looks so cuddly and inviting, but really it's very dangerous."

"Uh, what do you mean by dangerous, exactly?" Takuya scanned the beach for danger to no avail. "I don't see anything dangerous."

"Look," the Gomamon directed his attention to the island. "All that foam is caused by a bunch of whirlpools. We're safe here, but not there. Over there they'll suck you in and never spit you back out. Even if you did make it past them, you would get slammed against the cliffs that surround the only beach you can land on. We know all about it because we used to live there." Simultaneously the Gomamon eyed the ground with anguish.

"So is there some kind of secret way to get there or something?" Takuya questioned further, unable to justify swimming to the island anymore.

"No, I wish there were," the Gomamon lamented.

"You can't get home?" Zoe worriedly studied the saddened Digimon.

"That's right. Everything used to be so wonderful here. Then one day when we went out to play and get some food, there was a big earthquake. That's when the whirlpools started; we were cut off from our island and haven't been able to get home since."

"I'd be willing to bet that the earthquake started when the destruction of the Digital World began," Bokomon hypothesized. "It seems there's no one that Cherubimon's evil touch hasn't hurt."

_The boy connected to Duskmon…did Cherubimon affect him so? _

"So you're saying there's no way to get across, huh?" Koji grimaced at the idea of letting the Toucanmon getting so far away. It made me feel guilty.

"Maybe we can find some kind of flying Digimon who can fly us over to the island," JP suggested. Then he looked at me. "Or you could find your Beast Spirit. Maybe you'll turn out to be a giant bird or something."

Heat rushed into my cheek bones. "Back off," I warned him. "I'm not going to turn into a gigantic bird!"

My outburst startled the others, and I quickly shrunk behind Koji to alleviate some of the tension. Takuya focused back on the situation at hand.

"Thanks you guys, you really saved our necks. We'll go look for a flying Digimon."

"No problem," the Gomamon dismissed the thanks.

"We'd better hurry before the Toucanmon get too far," Tommy walked to JP's side. Shirking to the back of the group, I skulked behind Koji and Takuya to get away from JP.

"Why don't you come back with us? I mean, don't you want to get back home?" Zoe offered the Gomamon. They tried to dismiss her kindness, but it offended her more than it was supposed to. "Come on! Are you trying to tell me that you're not even a little sad watching all your friends from afar, not even being able to talk to them? Well, I don't buy it! Everyone gets sad without their friends."

"Eh…yeah, we just try to ignore that or we get all depressed," the leader Gomamon said, scratching the back of his neck uneasily.

"Listen guys, I think I have a quick and easy solution to your problem. You're all gonna come with us!"

"Although I do appreciate the sentiment," Bokomon interrupted her plans. "Don't you think it might be a tad dangerous?"

"Come on guys…"

"We can't even help ourselves," Koji protested, closing his eyes from the anger that he felt from being so useless. "I mean, we don't even have our D-Tectors anymore. What good are we?"

* * *

"_Daddy, I'm home!" Ryan barged through the front door, sprinted through the entry room, and planted a bright orange permission form in front of our father. "Will you sign it, Dad? Please? It's that Tokyo trip, to see those gardens." _

_Sitting at the table across from my dad, I chewed a bowl of cereal and waited for my father to answer. He frowned at the paper._

"_Tokyo is an hour away; why on Earth would you want to go to some gardens anyway? A boy your age should be going to baseball games, not petty gardens," he dismissed the form and pulled up a newspaper. _

"_But Daddy, I…" Frustration grew in his eyes. "You promised…You let Perry go last year!"_

"_That's different." _

"_Don't be so sexist," I complained, startling him. "He wants to go so let him go. They don't even ask you to pay for anything for the trip, and they're not _just _visiting gardens. There are some old dojos and a historical museum that they'll visit too."_

_The man cast an angered look my way. "Don't argue with me, Perry Morti."_

* * *

My mother had ended up signing the form, saying it was a good way to learn about heritage, but the look on my father's face…it made me edgy to think about to this day. Yet in the scenario about me, Zoe wanted the best for the Gomamon just as I had wanted for my brother.

I looked up from the sand and nodded to her. "You're right."

"Say what?" Robert stared at me, perching himself on my shoulder. "You're kidding, right?"

"I'm not kidding, Robert. We were sent to protect the Digital World any way we can, and we're going to send them back home."

"Zoe's right, even if we don't make it back, we'll do it together," Takuya agreed, stepping to Zoe's side with Koji flanking her other side.

"Even without our D-Tectors I guess there's plenty we can do as a team," Koji relented with his hands deep in his pockets. Slowly everyone was agreeing to Zoe's demands.

"Aw, you guys…" Zoe's eyes shimmered, almost teary.

"Don't start crying," Takuya protested the look on her face. "Cause then Tommy will start crying."

"And if he doesn't I will," JP added, making the blonde girl laugh. "Awesome, let's get to work everybody!"

I don't know who initially decided that we were going to make a raft complete with a sail to catch the wind, but the next thing I knew, we were building a boat made of palm trees, rope, and a lot of elbow grease.

While Koji, JP, and Tommy did most of the log dragging, Takuya, Robert, and I worked on tying the logs tightly together to prevent a boating accident. Robert observed our work and attempted to give us helpful advice.

"Takuya, who taught you to tie knots like that? Your little brother or something?" he teased. "Let Perry do it; she does it a lot better."

"Thanks, Robert," he rolled his eyes before moving, pausing to wipe the sweat from his brow. "Speaking of little brothers…I haven't seen Ryan in a long time. How's the fella doing? Shinya told me he was a killer soccer goalie a year or two ago."

"Um…" losing focus, I lost my grip on the knot. I'd have to start over. I looked up and found everyone else still some distance away working to get a few more logs. "Remember how I take those trips up to Canada once or twice a year?"

"You've never mentioned it," he shrugged it off and moved in to help me with the knot. "We never talked a lot in school or anything." Then he paused. "Did something bad happen?"

"He drowned, Takuya," I admitted. "We both went under, but when I came up…he didn't breach the surface. I couldn't find him anywhere."

Silence fell over our knot tying work before Takuya sucked in a deep breath. "I'm so sorry…I-I never heard anything from anyone about it…"

"It's fine," I dismissed it while trying to keep my emotions from flaring. "Please don't talk about it."

"No, of course."

* * *

It wasn't the greatest looking raft made of logs that I had ever seen, but it was satisfactory to the others. They were quite proud of it in fact. In my opinion, it would be a miracle if the construction actually made it to the other island.

"Here we go!" Takuya called to the others on board as he and I pushed the boat into the waves. "Yeah! It floats!"

"She floats," Robert corrected. "You're a sailor now. Act like one."

"Are we there yet?" I inched my way to the top of our palm tree mast to sit atop the frame. "I see whirlpools."

"This is great," Zoe grinned from down below.

"I'll say," Takuya agreed.

"But what about my plans?" JP whined louder.

"JP!" they scolded, not having the will to even think about building a better boat. With the Gomamon swimming around us, we stopped when we reached a safe distance from the violent whirlpools.

"The Gomamon sure weren't kidding, huh?" Koji, holding a paddle, stared into the deep. I scanned the shoreline: there really weren't that many whirlpools, but they were rather large in size.

"There must be something at the bottom of the sea that's causing all this," Bokomon rationalized.

"Well, maybe we can find it and fix it," Takuya suggested optimistically.

"Rogue wave!" I shouted as I slid down the mast. Everyone made a fast attempt to grab hold of something as to not be thrown into the raging sea.

Two spouts of water raged up from the sea to be followed by Ranamon standing upon a third spout. "Hi there kiddy pie," she waved by flexing her fingers.

"Aw man," JP groaned at our timing and luck. She knew that we were coming; had she sensed us when we set sail?

"If y'all have any last wishes, now would be the perfect time to make one," Ranamon suggested while checking her fingernails for dirt.

"Not before the fun starts," I held my arms out from my sides. "Where's your bite, Ranamon?"

Zoe growled in irritation at the Warrior of Water and took out her D-Tector.

"Don't do it, Zoe," JP protested. "You were no match for her last time, remember?"

"For Pete's sake, am I the only one here with a pinch of optimism?"

"But Zoe…" Takuya whimpered in despair.

"Don't 'But Zoe,' me! Just find a way to stop the whirlpools while I hold her off," she ordered us. Transforming into Kazemon, she launched herself towards Ranamon.

_Am I strong enough? _I wondered. Anger from my first meeting with Ranamon in the hideout seeped into my bloodstream. _Strong enough to maim her if I cannot defeat her. _

"Be careful…" Robert warned.

"Don't you worry about me," I watched him float up to the top of the mast. "Be safe for me." I turned to watch the fight once more and waited for my opportunity to show itself.

"Drainin' Rain!" Ranamon's attack cast Kazemon down into a whirlpool, and I acted right then. With a running start, I leapt off the raft towards Ranamon. _If she can show courage in the face of that freak, then so can I._

"Execute! Spirit Evolution…Kusoramon!" I flared my wings and put myself between the guys and Ranamon. _Zoe has to surface sometime…right?_

"Zoe, come back!" JP howled while Koji held him back from getting in the water.

"Zoe!" Takuya called over and over.

"What a bother," Ranamon rested on her water spout propping her chin up with her index finger. "And here I thought I had the chance to test out my Beast Spirit. It's really not fair."

"You're toast, lady!" Takuya fumed from the raft.

"Thanks, but I've already eaten my breakfast. Hey, maybe I could test out my Beast Spirit on y'all and Birdie here," she mused. Around us the waters began to quiet until the whirlpools were simply gone.

_Zoe_, I guessed.

"Now how in the world did that happen, huh?" Ranamon stood, spying out over the water with a hand shielding her scarlet eyes from the sun.

I backed towards the others just in time. A gigantic burst of water shot up from the sea three times as big as the spouts that Ranamon had conjured up; when the water dissipated, Zoe was hovering in the air.

"It's Zoe!" the others cried in disbelief (the loudest shout coming from JP).

"I'm back, and I've brought—a little friend!" she thrust her D-Tector out, and Data enveloped her. "Execute…Beast Spirit Evolution! Zephyrmon!"

"Who is that?" I heard a breathless Takuya ask.

"Zephyrmon, the Legendary Warrior of Wind," Bokomon replied.

She was…charming, I guess. A little less revealing than Kazemon, she had tan wings with paler secondary feathers beneath them. Wearing purple armor and metal guards to protect her arms, she sported long metal claws at her fingertips. A pair of blue wings served as 'ears' atop her head.

"Oh my…why?" Ranamon ranted and raved to reveal just how vain she was. "You're pretty; your Beast Spirit made you pretty! Of course you're not even prettier than me. That's not even possible…but just because you _are _prettier than me doesn't me anything, you got it? Do you have adoring fans who worship you from all over the world...? I don't think so!"

"You know, for the Legendary Warrior of Water, you sure let off a lot of hot air," the Beast Spirit made Zoe's voice sound older, yet still feminine.

Ranamon almost had steam coming out of her ears now. "That does it. You're going down first, sugar. Now how shall I defeat you? Ah, Dark Vapor!" she performed a strange dance before hurling a black haze over Zephyrmon. "You're in for it now, darling. That mist will melt through anything; have your feathers started molting yet... Wait a second, how come you're not molting?"

A wind generated from her wings quickly cleared the vapor, and she drew up her claws. "I think it's time you learn a little respect. Plasma Pods!"

Four red circles, one for each hand/foot, were generated from her appendages, and she rushed forward to incinerate the water spout that Ranamon had been resting on. With a splash, the Warrior of Water fell in the sea.

The guys on the boat cheered, and I looked on with approval. _So far so good. _

"No more pussy-footin' around; Ranamon Slide Evolution! Calmaramon!" She transformed into the ugly creature, and the first thing that she did was turn my way. "Out of my way, brat!"

"Perry, look out!" Robert squeaked as Calmaramon lashed one of her tentacles my way.

"Adamas Strike!" I slammed the tentacle down into the water, backing away. She turned on Zephyrmon.

"You won't be so pretty when I get through with you: Acid Ink!" the torso of Calmaramon bulged, and she threw up a blast of ink at Zephyrmon. She dodged easily, jumping onto a rock. Upon another Acid Ink blast, Zephyrmon moved higher into the sky. The acid that hit the rock melted through it like butter on hot toast.

"That's what I'm gonna do to your friends. Ready, boys?" she turned towards them, and I knew that my next stunt had to be timed like clockwork. Zephyrmon was too far away; if there were multiple fires, she could help me block them. But not the first blast.

_Don't fail me now. _"Slide Evolution! Haaa-aaargh! CruciChimaeramon!" I threw myself at her with all my weight, and my sudden appearance startled her. Her attack was futile, but suddenly she was firing.

All I needed was a breath, and by the next second, I let loose a powerful roar of flame that protected me from the acid.

I pushed off from the air pockets with my wings open and flanked Zephyrmon, who studied me for a moment before dismissing my Beast Spirit for what it was.

"Oh my!" Bokomon was flipping furiously through the book behind us. "CruciChimaeramon, the Beast Warrior of Sky! Combining Darkness, Light, and Void together with her element of Sky, aided with a flame-throwing cobra, this Beast means business!"

"Since when did Perry have her Beast Spirit?" Takuya wondered out loud.

"Long enough to control it, it seems."

Calmaramon considered her opponents for a mere second before shooting out more Acid Ink. Easy blocks for easy attacks, it was child's play until she grabbed Zephyrmon with one of her slimy tentacles.

"Look out!" JP cried in vain. I charged, braving the flailing tentacles, and opened both sets of jaws wide.

"Black Teeth!" my teeth turned pitch black, channeling all of the darkness out of my wings to turn them pure white. I sunk my teeth into her arm, and she released Zephyrmon with a wail. I flared my wings in an attempt to back away.

"Wait up, sugar," she snatched me with two tentacles. "You could use some cooling off!" I struggling and tried to bite, but she had the snake's head crushed in her grasp.

She was about to move to plunge me beneath the waves when the most horrible, electrical current radiated out through the Sky symbol that glowed on my sides. It was like I had touched a 10,000 Volt electric fence: it had been the voice.

Calmaramon and I screamed; while the snake head buckled free, I could see the body of Robert get right up in Calmaramon's ugly face to spit a pink glob of goo in her eyes. Her burnt tentacles released me; when I hit the water, I knew that my doom was near.

* * *

I was sinking. Every time I tried to rise, something seemed to press me further and further down to the bottom. Too heavy, too tired, too exhausted. My wings and the feathers on them were absorbing all the water. De-Spirit Evolving alone took the last of my strength. _Don't fail them, Zephyrmon; I've failed my task. I hope Robert wasn't injured..._

Darkness: a deep, looming one that ebbed in and around my limbs consumed me. It felt…warm. Was darkness always so comforting, so cuddly? The being masked in darkness must have a sweet side, right? If not sweet, perhaps protective?

The boy walked up to me till he was two feet away from me. Honestly, I couldn't stop smiling at the sight of him despite being thirty feet underwater. It was Duskmon.

As much as I should have been afraid of the being that was connected to him, I found the human too inviting to turn down. He was everything I had ever wanted all bundled up in nice, decorative wrapping paper sitting on my doorstep.

"Hello, Rin," he greeted me. "It's nice to see you."

"It's nice to see you too," I answered, not considering it strange that I could breathe underwater. It felt like air. "How long will we be able to talk together?"

"Oh, five minutes?" he offered as a guess. "I've been thinking a lot about you."

"Have you?" The very sound of his voice made me want to pass out; my link to this boy, my attachment, was incredibly strong. If I had to be brutally honest, he was point blank handsome.

"I've had a lot of time to think; I've been alone for a long time," slowly, carefully, he reached out and touched my cheek. His fingers were warm, soft. "And I want to be with you, where you are."

I agreed thoughtlessly as he drew his hand back to his side. "Where are you?"

"I'm with you, silly," he grinned. Then a frown came over him. "I don't know, Rin. I'm afraid that I'm not going to be able to see you in this way ever again."

"What's wrong?" I demanded. "Whatever the problem is, I'll help you fix it."

He closed his gem-like eyes before opening them again. "You're going to be the problem, Rin. See the Darkness?" He gestured to the blackness around us before returning his gaze to my face. "Then there's your Darkness." He gestured to me. I couldn't see anything out of the ordinary cascading a shadow about me.

"What do you mean? You can see the voice inside me?"

"I can feel it," he admitted. "He doesn't want us to be together."

"Doesn't surprise me…I hate asking you so many questions, but why would he want us apart?"

He sighed, uncomfortable with the topic. He looked away as he spoke. "He's going to grow stronger by feeding on your pain, on your agony, on your suffering. When you're happy, he remains stoic and unable to gain energy."

I watched him, incredulous at the news that he had delivered. Blood rushed into my cheeks. "You want me happy, and he doesn't want me happy?"

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that," he assumed. Then he gave me a playful smile. "You do make _me _happy, Rin. I could only ever want the same for you."

"Why are you always so far away?" I pressed. "It seems like you're always visiting me; I want to be able to see you, to spend more than just a few short minutes with you. When can I visit you?"

He looked down at his shoes. "I don't know the answer to that question." It pained me to see him in anguish.

"I'm going to find you," I promised him. "And when I find you, I'm never going to leave you alone from that moment on."

He turned away from me so that he was facing the place he had come from. "Don't worry about me. Your first priority is to find Ryuu; the first step to driving out your Darkness is having him at your side. He can help you, and then I'll find you."

"How do you know Ryuu?" I questioned with some suspicion behind their meeting. "He's still alive?"

He twitched, expressing a single chuckle trapped in his throat; his expression grew dead serious. "The Warrior of Void is tough as nails, Rin; he can't afford to be so easily defeated. I don't know where he is or what he plans on doing, but he's having a hard time tracking you."

"But I've been in the same place for almost two whole days…" I trailed off, biting my lip. "Is he so far away that our connection is failing?"

"It's the Darkness inside of you," he said with conviction. "The less you think about Ryuu or me, the more the voice will weaken our connections."

"He's that strong?" my eyes stared back in horror at the realization. _He's not fooling around; he just needed some time to speak with me, to get a hold of what matters most to me. Then he took his time to sever the connection. _"How do I fix it?"

"I'm not sure," he told me. "It would take time." He turned away from me. "I think you're ready to go back to the others now."

"W-What do you mean?" I stammered without the answers I had wanted in my mind. "I don't want to go."

He smiled. "You don't have a choice, Rin." He turned towards me again and brushed my face with his fingers one last time. "The next time we meet like this, he will be powerful enough to prevent us from touching. Be safe."

* * *

When I woke up, I was soaking wet and coughing up whatever was left of my lungs from my last drowning incident. Koji and Takuya had performed CPR for at least five minutes before I regained my consciousness.

"Jeez, drown much, buddy?" Takuya helped me to sit up.

"No kidding," Koji fully agreed. Robert was sitting worriedly on his shoulder. "Did you see the light or what?"

We were on a small spit of a beach with a bunch of happy Gomamon; we must have just landed. Everyone seemed okay. No one had gotten vaporized by an Acid Ink blast I guess.

Further up the shoreline I could see fruit trees protected by the granite cliffs that provided Gomamon with food. The bushes and trees were a thousand shades of emerald green.

"No light," I tucked the crazy strands of loose hair behind my ears. "What happened to Calmaramon?"

"Koji pulled you out after Calmaramon disappeared, and Zephyrmon towed the boat onto the sand where we proceeded to pump the water out of ya. Sound about right?" Takuya glanced up at Light Boy who had turned his back to me with his arms folded across his chest.

"Don't you know how to swim?" Koji questioned me without looking me in the face.

"My Beast Spirit weighed me down…I usually can swim pretty well." I looked down at the sand. Despite all the happy Gomamon greeting their friends about us, I felt bummed out. "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you guys about my Beast Spirit; I was afraid that I wasn't going to be able to control her, or that I'd do more harm than good."

"Are you kidding?" Takuya punched my shoulder before standing up. "That was pretty cool how that snake can breathe fire; I thought we were going spontaneously combust or something."

"You did help distract Calmaramon quite a bit," Zoe informed me. "She hasn't been defeated, but she'll think twice before coming after us again so soon."

"It was irresponsible," Koji proved his point before turning towards me. Robert twirled so that he could still see me. "Don't doubt yourself so much. You'll only end up hurting yourself…but I guess we owe you our thanks."

I stood teetering on my feet for a moment before I regained my balance. Then we turned our attention to the Gomamon.

"They're sure happy," Neemon observed their excitable behavior.

"Yes, and it's all thanks to you, Zoe," Bokomon expressed his gratitude. "If you hadn't had the courage to stand up against Ranamon, none of this would have been possible."

"Thanks," Zoe told him.

"Hey, Zoe," Takuya added. "How were you able to control your Beast Spirit so fast?"

"Just luck I guess," she dismissed his question.

"Not 'cause you're a girl?" Tommy teased.

"Yeah, maybe," she grinned. "I won't tell; a girl has to have—secrets!" She blew a kiss their direction, and all the blood left the guy's faces (not to mention mine).

"You feel as sick as I do right now?" Takuya asked the youngest member.

"No, I'm sicker," Tommy argued with his face visibly pale.

"Guys…" Zoe complained. I turned towards Koji and ever so lightly touched his shoulder.

"Thanks again for everything," I told him in a quiet voice to not draw attention to us. "It means a lot."

He quickly dismissed my thanks. "Whatever, no problem."

The leader of the Gomamon and a few others waddled over to us. "We just wanted to thank you all; if you had never helped us, we might never have seen our friends again."

"You should be thanking Zoe," Takuya gestured to the purple wearer.

"Yeah, she's the one who did everything," Koji added to their discretion.

"Aw," Zoe cooed and gave them both a hug. "You guys helped me more than you know." Robert squeaked in terror and jumped to the ground.

They stared sheepishly at her unable to say anything until Koji spoke out. "Cut it out," he complained while JP and Tommy chanted for their own hug (which she complied to).

"What about you?" Neemon asked me with his arms outstretched. "Aren't you giving out free hugs too?" _They cost money?_

"Uh, no," I took a safe three steps back. Robert floated over to me.

"No sale!" the Poyomon growled on my shoulder. "'Sides, we've got more important things to do."

Koji turned abruptly towards the Gomamon when he recalled the task at hand. "Hey, did you guys see the Toucanmon?"

The leader gave us bad news: "They're all gone; they left for the Autumn Leaf Fair."

"It's a trader's market," Bokomon told us. "It's on the continent north of here."

"Then let's go," Takuya instituted, only to be hindered by one small problem.

"But how?" Zoe inquired of him. That stumped him.

"Why is nothing ever easy?" JP complained, staring up at the blue, cloudless sky. Rolling my eyes, I exchanged a glance with Robert.

"Have any suggestions?"

"Flying would be a great idea or maybe even rigging up the sailboat for the speedy jet streams and currents to carry us along. If we all go along with my plan, nothing is impossible!"

"You're the boss…I guess."


End file.
